Fuel dispensing system preventing customer drive-off

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a fuel dispensing system comprising a fuel dispenser associated with a control system adapted to detect a drive-off when fuel is delivered and not paid for, and generate a drive-off signal when a drive-off condition is detected. A receiver is associated with the control system and adapted to receive signals including identification indicia from a remote communications unit associated with the customer. A transmitter associated with the control system is adapted to transmit the drive-off signal to the remote communications unit. The drive-off signal is adapted to cause the remote communications unit to take measures to prevent future transactions involving that customer, and, in particular, the remote communications unit.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/060,066, filed Sep. 26, 1997.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to fuel dispensers and, moreparticularly, to fuel dispensers and systems capable of communicatingwith various types of transponders and detecting their movement withinand throughout a fueling environment.

In recent years, traditional gasoline pumps and service stations haveevolved into elaborate point-of-sale (POS) devices having sophisticatedcontrol electronics and user interfaces with large displays andtouch-pads or screens. The dispensers include various types of paymentmeans, such as card readers and cash acceptors, to expedite and furtherenhance fueling transactions. A customer is not limited to the purchaseof fuel at the dispenser. More recent dispensers allow the customer topurchase services, such as car washes, and goods, such as fast food orconvenience store products at the dispenser. Once purchased, thecustomer need only pick up the goods and services at the station storeor the outlet of a vending machine.

Remote transaction systems have evolved wherein the fuel dispenser isadapted to communicate with various types of remote communicationdevices, such as transponders, to provide various types ofidentification and information to the fuel dispenser automatically.Given the sophistication of these transaction systems and the numerouschoices provided to the customer at the dispenser, conductingtransactions with transponders will be useful to allow the dispenser andfuel station store to monitor the movement of a person carrying atransponder and a vehicle having a transponder, enhance transaction andmarketing efficiencies, and improve safety in the fueling environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aids is preventing both authorized andunauthorized customers from using a transponder in unauthorized ways. Ofprimary concern is preventing the customer from driving off beforepaying for the fuel or any other purchases made at the dispenser oranywhere else in the fueling environment. In many situations, a completefinancial transaction will require more than a purely remote transactionbetween the dispenser and transponder. The customer may be required toprovide additional payment means, such as cash or a credit, debit orsmartcard. In a situation where the product or service may be deliveredbefore the transaction is completed, the present invention will act todeter or prevent repetition of this event in the future. Notably, notall drive-offs are intentional, and the transponder may act with variousfueling environments to remind the customer at a subsequent fuelingtransaction that a drive-off occurred during a previous operation.Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a fueldispensing system comprising a fuel dispenser associated with a controlsystem adapted to detect a drive-off when fuel is delivered and not paidfor, and generate a drive-off signal when a drive-off condition isdetected. A receiver is associated with the control system and adaptedto receive signals including identification indicia from a remotecommunications unit associated with the customer. A transmitterassociated with the control system is adapted to transmit the drive-offsignal to the remote communications unit. The drive-off signal isadapted to cause the remote communications unit to take measures toprevent future transactions involving that customer, and, in particular,the remote communications unit.

Preferably, in addition to sending a signal to the remote communicationsunit to, in effect, disable the remote communications unit for furthertransactions, a security indicator is provided to alert system operatorsthat a drive-off condition exists. The control system may include adispenser controller, a central site controller, a control system from aremote network, or any combination thereof.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a method of generating adrive-off signal in a fuel dispensing system. The method includes thesteps of detecting a drive-off when fuel is delivered and not paid for,generating a drive-off signal when a drive-off condition is detected,and transmitting the drive-off signal to the remote communications unit.The drive-off signal is adapted to cause a remote communications unit totake measures to prevent future transactions involving the customer.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading the following description of thepreferred embodiments when considered with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a fueling and retail environmentconstructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A depicts a vehicle having a vehicle-mounted transponderconstructed according the present invention.

FIG. 2B depicts a personal transponder integrated into a debit/credit orsmartcard constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 2C depicts a personal transponder integrated into key fobconstructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts a fuel dispenser shown constructed according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 4A is a schematic representation of a transponder having separatecommunication and cryptography electronics constructed according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 4B is a schematic representation of transponder having integratedelectronics constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of fuel dispenser electronicsconstructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of convenience store transactionelectronics, including a transaction terminal, for a fueling environmentconstructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a quick-serve restaurant controlsystem for a fueling environment constructed according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a car wash control systemconstructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a central control system for afueling environment constructed according to the present invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flow chart representing a basic flow of amultistage ordering process according to the present invention.

FIG. 10C is a flow chart representing a basic flow of a loyalty benefitprocess according to the present invention.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are a flow chart representing a basic interaction witha transponder during a cash transaction according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 11C is a flow chart representing a basic process for providing adiscount for transponder use during a transaction according to thepresent invention.

FIGS. 11D and 11E are a flow chart of a basic process for providingprepayment on a transponder for subsequent transactions according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 12A is a schematic representation of a side view of a dispenserhaving multiple antenna arrangements for providing directionalinterrogation fields constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 12B is a schematic representation of a front view of a dispenserhaving multiple antenna arrangements for providing directionalinterrogation fields constructed according to the present invention.

FIGS. 12C and 12D are a flow chart of a basic process for monitoring thelocation and type of transponder at a fueling position according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13A is an overhead schematic representation of a fuelingenvironment having antenna arrangements providing various interrogationfields.

FIG. 13B is an overhead schematic representation of a fuelingenvironment having antenna arrangements providing continuous locationmonitoring of transponders in the fueling environment.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are a flow chart of a basic process for determiningthe proximity or location of a transponder with respect to a particularfueling position at a dispenser according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a basic control process for determiningtransponder location for an embodiment similar to that depicted in FIG.13B.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a fuel dispenser having undergroundantennas constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an overhead schematic representation of a fuel dispenserconstructed according to the present invention.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are a flow chart of a basic process forpreconditioning a dispenser followed by secondary transactionauthorization according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 depicts a preferred process for providing secure communicationsbetween a transponder and a host network through a fuel dispenser.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart of a basic transponder interaction for providingtheft deterrence and prevention according to the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of a basic transponder interaction forpreventing drive-offs according to the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of a basic process for providing guidelines orlimitations for a fueling or purchase transaction made in associationwith a transponder according to the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic representation of a transponder and dispensersystem for providing a shadow ledger of transponder transactionsconstructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart of a basic process for maintaining a shadowledger according to the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart of a basic process for transaction trackingthroughout numerous fueling environments according to the presentinvention.

FIGS. 26A and 26B are a flow chart of a basic process for providingpredefined preferences to a customer during a transaction made inassociation with a transponder according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a schematic representation of a fuel dispenser and fuelcontainer for personal transport of fuel.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart of a basic process for monitoring and detectingacceptable containers for fueling.

FIGS. 29A and 29B are a flow chart of a basic process for providingpre-transaction estimates according to the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a flow chart of a basic process for providing a customer withestimated cost totals of a fueling transaction to enable a customer tomake an informed decision regarding payment at a cash acceptor of a fueldispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, like reference characters designate likeor corresponding parts throughout the several figures. It should beunderstood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describingpreferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit theinvention thereto.

Given the extensive nature of the present application, an overview ofthe necessary hardware for the various areas in the fueling environmentwill be discussed followed by a description of the various functionalaspects of the system and how the customer will react and interact withthe system during various types of transactions.

As best seen in FIG. 1, a fueling and retail environment, generallydesignated 10, is shown constructed according to the present invention.The fueling and retail environment provides customers 12 the opportunityto purchase fuel for their vehicles 14 as well as other goods andservices, such as fast food and car washes. The fueling and retailenvironment 10 may include one or more of a forecourt 16, where the fueldispensers 18 are located, a convenience or fuel station store 20, oneor more quick-serve restaurants (QSR) 22, a car wash 24, and a backroom26. The backroom 26 is generally the central control area forintegrating or coordinating control of the dispensers 18, conveniencestore 20, QSR 22, and car wash 24.

The convenience store 20 typically includes an inventory of a wideassortment of products, ranging from beverages and foods to householdgoods. The convenience store includes a transaction terminal or register30, where a customer 12 may purchase convenience store products, fuel,car washes or QSR food.

The QSR 22 generally includes an order pick-up area 32 having a QSRtransaction terminal or register 34 located within the convenience storeand a drive-thru terminal and window 36. Depending on the application,the QSR transaction terminal 34 and drive-thru terminal 36 may beseparated or integrated in any fashion. Usually, customers are able toplace orders at the QSR transaction terminal 34 in the store as well aspick up orders in conventional drive-thru style at drive-thru terminal36.

The QSR 22 may also include a food preparation area 40, a foodpreparation interface 42 for providing order instruction to QSR foodpreparers, a drive-thru order placement interface 44 for placingdrive-thru orders in a conventional manner, and a customer positionmonitor 46 for determining the location or position of a customer inline to pick up a QSR order at the drive-thru window 36. Notably, thedrive-thru and car wash lanes depicted in FIG. 1 are designed to controlthe flow of traffic through the respective lanes and aid to ensurevehicles, and their respective transponders, pass by the variousinterrogation points in the fueling environment as desired.

The car wash 24 includes a car wash interface 48 that interacts with thecustomer and controls the automatic car wash system (not shown), whichmay be any suitable automatic car wash. Preferably, a customer 12 willbe able to order a car wash at a fuel dispenser 18, at the transactionterminal or register 30 of the convenience store 20, at the QSRtransaction terminal 34, or at the car wash interface 48 directly.Similarly, customers are able to order fast-food items from the QSR 22from various locations in the fueling environment 10, including at thefuel dispensers 18, drive-thru order placement interface 44, and thein-store QSR terminal 34.

Although various overall system and control integration schemes areavailable, the four major parts of the fueling environment 10--forecourt16, convenience store 20, QSR 22 and car wash 24--typically interface atthe backroom 26 using a central control system 50. The central controlsystem 50 may include any number of individual controllers from thevarious parts of the fueling environment 10 to provide overall systemcontrol and integration. The central control system 50 may interfacewith the fuel dispensers 18, transaction terminal 30, QSR transactionterminal 34 and the car wash interface 48. Preferably the drive-thruterminal 36, drive-thru order placement interface 44 and customerposition monitor 46 directly interface with the QSR terminal 34 in orderto integrate the QSR functions prior to interfacing with the centralcontrol system 50. However, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize several control variations capable of implementing anintegrated system. Additionally, an automated vending system 28 may alsointerface with the central control system 50 or directly with any one ofthe other areas of the fueling environment 10, such as the fueldispensers 18, in order to allow a customer 12 to purchase products fromthe vending system 28 at a remote location.

The present invention relates generally to providing remotecommunications between the customer 12 or the vehicle 14 and variousparts of the fueling environment briefly described above. In short, manyareas within the fueling environment 10 will be equipped withcommunication electronics capable of providing uni- or bi-directionalcommunications with the customer or vehicle carrying a remotecommunications device. The communication electronics will typicallyinclude a transmitter for transmitting signals to the remotecommunications device and a receiver for receiving signals emanatingfrom the remote communications device. The remote communications devicemay also include a receiver and transmitter. The transmitter andreceiver of the remote communications device may separately receive andseparately transmit signals in cooperation with an associated controlsystem or may be configured so that the transmitter actually operates onand modifies a signal received from the communication electronics in thefueling environment 10. The latter embodiment encompasses traditionaltransponder-type communication systems wherein the remote communicationsdevice may be either passive or active.

For the sake of conciseness and readability, the term "transponder" willbe used herein to describe any type of remote communications devicecapable of communicating with the communication electronics of thefueling environment 10. The remote communications device may includetraditional receivers and transmitters alone or in combination as wellas traditional transponder electronics adapted to respond and/or modifyan original signal to provide a transmit signal. A transponder asdefined herein may provide either unidirectional or bidirectionalcommunications with the communications electronics of the fuelingenvironment 10.

Likewise, the communication electronics associated with the variousaspects of the fueling environment 10 will be called an "interrogator."An interrogator will generally include a transmitter and receivercapable of communicating with a transponder as defined above. Pleasenote that an interrogator, as defined herein, need not contain both areceiver and a transmitter for various aspects of the invention.

With the above in mind, the fueling environment 10 may include manyinterrogators of varying capability. These interrogators may include:dispenser interrogators 52, a store transaction interrogator 54, a QSRtransaction interrogator 56, a drive-thru pick-up interrogator 58, adrive-thru order interrogator 60, and a drive-thru position interrogator62. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, the dispenser interrogator 52 isgenerally adapted to communicate with vehicle-mounted transponders 64and personal transponder 66. The personal transponder 66 may be mountedon a key fob 68, a wallet card 70, or any other device typically carriedby the customer 12, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C. FIG. 2A depicts avehicle 14 having a vehicle-mounted transponder 64.

The levels of sophistication of the vehicle-mounted transponder 64 mayvary drastically. The transponder 64 may be integrated with thevehicle's main computer and control system, or may simply be a stickerplaced on a window or on another part of the vehicle. The transponder 64may be active or passive, and may be adapted to either simply send outan identification number or carry out high-level communications and havethe ability to process, store and retrieve information. Various featuresof the invention will be disclosed in greater detail.

As best seen in FIG. 3, a fuel dispenser 18 is shown constructedaccording to and as part of the present invention. The dispenserprovides a fuel delivery path from an underground storage tank (notshown) to a vehicle 14, (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A). The delivery pathincludes a fuel delivery line 72 having a fuel metering device 74. Thefuel delivery line 72 communicates with a fuel delivery hose 76 outsideof the dispenser 18 and a delivery nozzle 78. The nozzle 78 providesmanual control of fuel delivery to the vehicle 14.

The dispenser 18 also includes a dispenser control system 80 having oneor more controllers and associated memory 82. The dispenser controlsystem 80 may receive volume data from the metering device 74 throughcabling 84 as well as provide control of fuel delivery. The dispensercontrol system 80 may provide audible signals to an audio module andspeaker 86 in order to provide various beeps, tones and audible messagesto a customer. These messages may include warnings, instructions andadvertising.

The dispenser 18 is preferably equipped with a payment acceptor, such asa card reader 88 or cash acceptor 90, along with a receipt printer 92.With these options, the dispenser control system 80 may read data fromthe magnetic strip of a card inserted in the card reader 88 or receivecash from a customer and communicate such information to the centralcontrol system 50 (as shown in FIG. 1), such as the G-site controllersold by Gilbarco Inc., 7300 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, N.C. Thecentral control system 50 typically communicates with a remote network94, such as a card verification authority, to ascertain whether atransaction proposed to be charged to or debited from an accountassociated with the card inserted in the card reader 88 is authorized.

The dispenser 18 will include one or more types of displays, preferablyone or more alpha-numeric displays 96 together with a high-resolutiongraphics display 100. The graphics display 100 will generally have anassociated key pad 102 adjacent to the display or integrated with thedisplay to provide a touch interface. The dispenser may include anadditional, auxiliary key pad 104 associated with the card reader 88 forentering secret codes or personal identification numbers (PIN's).Notably, the displays 96, 100 and key pads 102, 104 may be integratedinto a single device and/or touch interface. The dispenser controlsystem 80 is preferably comparable to the microprocessor-based controlsystems used in CRIND (card reader in dispenser) and TRIND (tag ortransponder reader in dispenser) type units sold by Gilbarco Inc. underthe trademark THE ADVANTAGE.

As noted, the dispenser control system 80 may include or be associatedwith dispenser communication electronics referred to as interrogator 52for providing remote unidirectional or bidirectional communicationsbetween a transponder and the dispenser. These transponders mayincorporate the Micron Microstamp™ produced by Micron Communications,Inc., 8000 South Federal Way, Boise, Id. 83707-0006. The MicronMicrostamp™ engine is an integrated system implementing a communicationsplatform referred to as the Microstamp™ standard on a single CMOS chip.A detailed description of the Microstamp™ engine and the method ofcommunication is provided in its data sheets in the Micron Microstamp™Standard Programmers Reference Manual provided by Micron Communications,Inc. These references and the information provided by MicronCommunications on their web site at http://www.mncc.micron.com areincorporated herein by reference. Although the preferred communicationsmethod includes radio frequencies in the microwave range, thesecommunications may include other RF, infrared, acoustic or other knownremote communication methods acceptable for use in a fuelingenvironment. Additionally, the dispenser 18 may include one or moreantennas 108 associated with the dispenser interrogator 52.

Attention is drawn to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,621,913; 5,608,739; 5,583,850;5,572,226; 5,558,679; 5,557,780; 5,552,743; 5,539,775; 5,500,650;5,497,140; 5,479,416; 5,448,110; 5,365,551; 5,323,150 and 5,302,239,owned by Micron Technology, Inc. the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

Turning now to FIG. 4A, the preferred embodiment of a transponder isshown. Transponder communication electronics 110, adapted to provideremote communications with the various interrogators, include atransmitter 114 and receiver 116 having associated antennas 118, 120.The transmitter 114 and receiver 116 operate to transmit and receivedata to and from an interrogator. The communication electronics 110 mayinclude a battery power supply 122, a communication controller 124associated with a memory 126, having software 128 necessary to operatethe communication electronics 110 and optional cryptography electronics112.

Serial communications between the communication electronics 110 andcryptography electronics 112 is provided via the input/output (I/O)ports 130, 140 associated with the respective electronics. Thecommunication electronics 110 provide a signal from a clock 132 to theI/O port 140 of the cryptography electronics 112. The cryptographyelectronics 112 include a controller 134, memory 136 and software 138necessary to encrypt and decrypt data, as well as provide any additionaloperations. The memory 126, 136 may include random access memory (RAM),read only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. Notably, thecommunication controller 124 and the cryptography controller 134 may beintegrated into one controller. Similarly, the software and memory ofthe communication and cryptography modules may be integrated or embodiedin hardware.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the communication and cryptography electronics, aswell as any associated controllers, may be integrated into a singlecontroller system and/or integrated circuit. In such cases, a singlecontroller 142 is associated with memory 144 having software 146 asnecessary for operation. In such an integrated system, the controller142 will carry out any cryptography functions as well as any otherfunctions necessary for operation.

In the preferred embodiment, the communications controller 124, 142specifically provides a spread-spectrum processor associated with an8-bit microcontroller. The memory 126, 144 includes 256 bytes of RAM.The receiver 116 operates in conjunction with the spread-spectrumprocessor and is capable of receiving direct sequence, spread-spectrumsignals having a center frequency of 2.44175 GHz. The transmitter 114 ispreferably a DPSK modulated back-scatter transmitter transmittingdifferential phase shift key (DPSK) modulated back scatter at 2.44175GHz with a 596 KHz sub-carrier. The various interrogators in the fuelingenvironment 10 are adapted to receive and transmit the signals toproperly communicate with the transponders. For additional informationon a transponder/interrogator system providing for highly securetransactions between a transponder and a host authorization systemthrough a dispenser, attention is drawn to application Ser. No.08/895,417 filed Jul. 16, 1997, entitled CRYPTOGRAPHY SECURITY FORREMOTE DISPENSER TRANSACTIONS in the name of William S. Johnson, Jr.;application Ser. No. 08/895,282 filed Jul. 16, 1997, entitled MEMORY ANDPASSWORD ORGANIZATION FOR REMOTE DISPENSER TRANSACTIONS in the name ofWilliam S. Johnson, Jr.; and application Ser. No. 08/895,225 filed Jul.16, 1997, entitled PROTOCOL FOR REMOTE DISPENSER TRANSACTIONS in thename of William S. Johnson, Jr. The disclosures of these applicationsare incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 5 shows a basic schematic overview of the dispenser electronicswherein a dispenser control system 80 includes a controller associatedwith the memory 82 to interface with the central control system 50through an interface 146. The dispenser control system 80 provides agraphical user interface with key pad 102 and display 100. Audio/videoelectronics 86 is adapted to interface with the dispenser control system80 and/or an auxiliary audio/video source 156 to provide advertising,merchandising and multimedia presentations to a customer in addition tobasic transaction functions. The graphical user interface provided bythe dispenser allows customers to purchase goods and services other thanfuel at the dispenser. The customer may purchase a car wash and/or orderfood from the QSR while fueling the vehicle. Preferably, the customer isprovided a video menu at the display 100 to facilitate selection of thevarious services, goods and food available for purchase. The card reader88 and cash acceptor 90 allow the customer to pay for any of theservices, goods or food ordered at the dispenser while the printer 92will provide a written record of the transaction. The dispenser controlsystem 80 is operatively associated with a dispenser interrogator 52,which has a receiver 142 and a transmitter 144. The receiver andtransmitter typically associate with one or more antennas 108 to provideremote communications with a transponder. The dispenser control system80 communicates with the central control system 50 in the backroom 26.

In like fashion, the convenience store transaction electronics shown inFIG. 6, and more specifically the transaction terminal register 30,include a store transaction controller 152, associated memory 154, theinterrogator 54, and a display and key pad 150, 160 forming atransaction terminal interface. The transaction controller 152 interactswith the central control system 50 through the central site controlinterface 160. The interrogator 54 includes a receiver 162 and atransmitter 164, both of which are associated with one or more antennas166. The transaction terminal 30 is adapted to provide typicaltransaction functions of a cash register and a card authorizationterminal in addition to communicating with transponders within the storeand/or proximate to the terminal. The communications between thetransponder and the store transaction terminal are generally related totransactional and customer identification and monitoring, although otherfeatures will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon readingthis disclosure.

Attention is now drawn to FIG. 7 and the schematic outline of the QSRelectronics shown therein. The QSR will generally have a controller 168and associated memory 170 capable of interfacing with the centralcontrol system 50 through a central site control interface 172. As withmany QSR's, a transaction terminal or register 174 is provided having akey pad 176 and display 178. The QSR transaction terminal 174 is used bya QSR operator to take customer orders from within the store inconventional fashion. The orders are either verbally or electronicallycommunicated to the food preparation area 40 through the QSR controller168. The QSR transaction terminal 174 is associated with interrogator 56having a receiver 177 and a transmitter 179 associated with one or moreantennas 175. The food preparation area will typically have a foodpreparation interface 42 having a display 180 and a key pad 182. Thefood preparation interface 42 may be a terminal run from the QSRcontroller 168 or may contain a food preparation controller 184 withinthe food preparation interface 42. However the system is arranged, orderinformation is passed from one of the order interfaces to the foodpreparation display 180 to alert food preparers of an order.

In a QSR embodiment providing drive-thru capability, a remote orderentry interface 186 is provided. The order entry interface 186 mayinclude a simple menu board and audio intercom system 188, or in a moresophisticated embodiment, may provide for bi-directional video intercomusing the audio intercom 188 and a video system 190 allowing thecustomer and QSR operator to audibly and visually interact with oneanother during order placement. The order entry interface 186 may alsoinclude an interrogator 60 having a receiver 192 and a transmitter 194,associated with one or more antennas 195, for communicating with atransponder of a customer when the customer is placing an order at theorder entry interface 186.

Typically, orders placed at the order entry interface 186 are sent tothe order pick-up interface 196, which is normally situated proximate tothe pick-up window 36 at the end of the drive-thru lane. The orderpick-up interface 196 will have an audio system 198 to provide the audiointercom and an optional video system 200 if video intercom with theorder entry interface 186 is desired. The order pick-up interface 196also has an associated interrogator 58 having a receiver 202 and atransmitter 204 associated with one or more antennas 206.

Unlike existing QSR's, the present invention may include a customerposition detector 208, preferably placed somewhere along the drive-thrulane to detect when a customer is at or is past that position en routeto pick up an order, which may have been placed at a fuel dispenser 18.The customer position detector 208 is associated with the drive-thruposition interrogator 62 and includes a receiver 210 and a transmitter212 associated with one or more antennas 214.

FIG. 8 depicts the basic outline of the car wash electronics, whichincludes a controller 216, memory 218, a key pad 220, a display 222 andthe interrogator 51. The key pad 220 and display 222 combine with thecontroller 216 to provide a customer interface 48. The interrogator 51includes a receiver 224 and a transmitter 226 associated with one ormore antennas 228. Additionally, the car wash controller 216 preferablycommunicates with the central control system 50 in the store via acentral site control interface 230. The interrogator 51 will typicallycommunicate with a customer transponder to automatically authorize a carwash previously paid for at the dispenser or inside the store. The keypad may be used to insert a secret code or other information to select atype of wash or otherwise authorize the car wash.

FIG. 9 generally depicts the central control system 50 found in thebackroom 26 of the fueling environment 10. The central control system 50may include one or more controllers 232 associated with memory 234. Thecentral control system 50 may include multiple interfaces with thevarious areas in the fueling environment 10. These interfaces includethe car wash interface 230, dispenser interface 146, QSR interface 172and the vending interface 236 connected to an automated vending machine28. Additionally, the central controller 232 may have a dedicatednetwork or authorization interface 238 connected to a host transactionnetwork 94 for authorizing credit and debit transactions and the like.An Internet interface may also be provided for transactions and otherinformation relating to operation, advertising, merchandising andgeneral inventory and management functions.

The dedicated authorization interface and/or Internet interface mayoperate on a dedicated service line or a telephone system 242.Furthermore, the central control system 50 may have a direct operatorinterface 244 associated with the controller 232 to allow an operator tointeract with the control system. In more advanced embodiments, acentral positioning interface 246 associated with multiple antennas 248may be used to determine transponder position and location throughoutthe fueling environment. Those skilled in the art will be aware of amultitude of positioning and locating techniques, such as triangulation,wherein various characteristics of a signal emitted from the transponderare measured and monitored to determine movement as well as preciselocation. The antennas 248 associated with the central positioninginterface 246 may take the place of or act in conjunction with thevarious antennas throughout the fueling environment to locate andmonitor movement of the transponders in the fueling environment.Attention is drawn to application Ser. No. 08/966,237 entitledTRANSPONDER DISTINCTION IN A FUELING ENVIRONMENT filed Nov. 7, 1997, inthe name of William S. Johnson, Jr. and application Ser. No. 08/759,733filed Dec. 6, 1996, entitled INTELLIGENT FUELING in the name ofHartsell, et al. The entire disclosure of these two patent applicationsis incorporated herein by reference.

Multistage Ordering

One of the many unique aspects of the present invention is providing formonitoring customer position throughout the fueling environment in orderto associate orders placed at the fuel dispenser with the particularcustomer that placed the order at the appropriate receiving point, suchas the QSR drive-thru terminal and window 36, QSR transaction terminal34 in the store, or, in the case of a car wash, at the car washinterface 48. In addition to associating the customer picking up theorder with the appropriate order, the QSR can monitor or detect theposition of the customer in the drive-thru line or elsewhere in thefueling environment to determine when to start order preparation.

For example, during the fueling operation, the customer may decide toorder a few items from the QSR menu displayed at the dispenser 18. Asthe customer enters the order, the order is associated with thetransponder carried by the customer or mounted on the customer'svehicle. The customer may choose to pay for the order along with thefuel at the dispenser, at the order pick-up place at the drive-thruwindow, or at one of the in-store registers associated with the QSR orthe convenience store. Continuing with our example and assuming thetransaction was paid for at the dispenser along with the fuel, thecustomer will enter his vehicle and proceed to drive around the fuelstation store along the drive-thru lane and pass the customer positionmonitor 46. As the customer approaches the customer position monitor 46,the drive-thru position interrogator 62 will receive a signal from thecustomer transponder indicating the customer is at a known position inthe drive-thru lane. At this point, the QSR control system 168 willalert the food preparation area 40 to prepare the order and indicate tothe order pick-up interface and controller 196 the position of thecustomer in the drive-thru lane. Once the customer reaches the orderpick-up window, the order pick-up interrogator will determine thepresence of the customer transponder and associate the customer's orderaccordingly so that the drive-thru window operator can deliver thefreshly prepared order to the correct customer. Associating the customerwith the appropriate order in a fueling environment having a QSR isquite different from traditional QSR drive-thru systems. With QSR's in afueling environment, orders for pick up at the drive-thru window, orwithin the store for that matter, may be placed in a different sequencethan the sequence in which the orders are actually picked up. The reasonfor the possible discrepancy between order placement and order pick uparises because orders can be placed at several locations, including thefuel dispenser and the traditional order entry interface 44. Inparticular, those customers placing orders at the dispenser will mostlikely intermingle in the drive-thru line with those placing orders atthe order entry interface 44. The present invention uses transponders toappropriately associate orders placed at different locations with theappropriate customer at a common pick-up location.

With this in mind, attention is drawn to the flow chart of FIGS. 10A and10B representing the basic flow of various multistage orderingprocesses. The process begins (block 500) when the dispenserinterrogator 52 receives a signal from a transponder 12, 14 and thedispenser control system 80 forwards transponder identification indicia(ID) to the central control system 50 for authorization (block 502).Authorization may occur locally at the central site controller 232 or ata remote host authorization network. The information to be authorized isgenerally financial or account information and can either be transmittedwith the transponder ID or stored at the central control system 50 orthe host network 94 in association with the transponder ID. In thelatter case, either the host network 94 or the central control system 50will associate the ID with the stored account information and thenauthorize the transponder based on the correlated account information.Preferably, the transponder is read and authorized as the customerand/or vehicle approaches or initially stops at the fueling position andpreferably, at least, before a transaction is initiated to increasetransaction efficiency. As the customer fuels the vehicle, the dispensermay display various types of information including advertising andinstructional information. Preferably, the dispenser 18 will displayoptions for ordering food items from the QSR or ordering a car wash atthe car wash 24 (block 504). The dispenser 18 will determine whether anorder is placed (block 506). The dispenser 18 will receive any ordersplaced by the customer (block 508) and associate the order with thetransponder in some fashion (block 510). Typically, the order isassociated with a transponder by (1) associating the order with thetransponder ID at one of the control systems, (2) transmitting andstoring a code associated with the order on the transponder, or (3)actually storing the order on the transponder. Those of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that there are many variations available forassociating an order with a transponder. These variations are consideredwithin the scope of this disclosure and the claims that follow.

Although there are various options, two general methods for associatingan order with a transponder will be discussed below. With the first, noinformation is transmitted to the transponder relating to the order.Instead, the electronics at the dispenser 18, central control system 50or the QSR 22 stores the order information and associates the order withthe transponder ID. When one of the interrogators subsequently reads thetransponder ID, the pertinent system will correlate the order with thetransponder ID. The second method involves writing information to thetransponder at the dispenser 18 and subsequently transmitting thatinformation to one of the system interrogators for authorization ororder identification. The information written to the transponder mayrange from a code for identification authorization purposes to thecomplete order placed at the dispenser.

Returning to FIG. 10A, the basic flow of both of the above-discussedmethods are shown. In cases where one of the control systems associatesan order based on the transponder ID, the customer order is transferredto the QSR controller 108 through the central control system 50 (block512). The dispenser 18 will effect payment for the transaction(typically adding the QSR purchase total to the fueling charge) and theQSR controller 168 will alert the food preparation area to prepare theorder (block 514).

In a basic environment, the QSR order pick-up interface 198 will monitorfor the presence of a transponder through the drive-thru pick-upinterrogator 58 or the in-store QSR transaction terminal interrogator 56(block 516). If a transponder is not detected, the systems continue tomonitor for a transponder (block 518). Once a transponder is detected,the transponder ID is received (block 520) and the transponder ID isassociated with the appropriate order (block 522). At this point, theQSR operator located at the pick-up window or the in-store transactionterminal is informed of the order corresponding to the customer at thewindow or terminal (block 524) and the fueling and retail transactionfor that particular customer ends (block 526).

Alternatively, once a customer places an order and the dispenser 18receives the order (block 508), and the order is associated with thetransponder (block 510), the dispenser 18 may transmit order indicia,such as a code for the order itself, to the transponder for storage(block 528). Next, the dispenser 18 will effect payment for thetransaction as discussed above (block 530). In the more basic embodimentdiscussed above, the QSR interrogators associated with the QSR window orin-store terminal will monitor for the presence of a transponder (block516 and 518), receive the transponder order indicia (block 518), andassociate the order with the indicia received from the transponder(block 522). The operator is then informed of the order for thatparticular customer (block 524).

In any of the above embodiments, the customer position detector 46 maybe used to alert QSR operators of the approach and location in thedrive-thru line of a particular customer. For the sake of clarity, theprocess of FIG. 10A only depicts using the customer position detector 46in a process where order indicia is transmitted to the transponder.Please note that using the customer position detector 46 may be used inany of the embodiments, as those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate.

Once the order is placed, received and associated with the transponderin normal fashion (blocks 500-510), indicia of the order is transmittedto the transponder (block 528) and the transaction is effected (block530) in normal fashion. At this point, the customer position detector 46will monitor for the presence of a transponder via the interrogator 62(blocks 532 and 534). Once a transponder is detected, the customerposition detector 46 will forward the transponder indicia to the foodpreparation area 40 through the QSR controller 108. This allows for thefood preparation operators to timely prepare a customer order based onthe customer's approach to the pick-up window (block 536). Thisinformation may also be sent to the pick-up operator to indicatecustomer position. The customer will proceed along the drive-thru laneuntil the pick-up window is approached where the transponder is detectedby the order pick-up interrogator 58 (blocks 516 and 518). Thetransponder ID or indicia is received by the QSR electronics, and theoperator is informed of the order corresponding to the customer at thewindow (blocks 522-526).

Although there are numerous variations to multistage ordering, theimportant aspects of the invention are associating a transponder with anorder placed by a customer at the fuel dispenser and subsequently usinginformation from the transponder to reassociate the order with thatparticular transponder. Optionally, an additional interrogation stagemay provide a further alert to a QSR operator of the approach of acustomer to initiate food preparation or simply indicate the position ofthe customer in line.

The multistage ordering works equally well with QSR's and car washsystems. When a car wash is ordered at the dispenser, the particular carwash ordered is associated with the transponder at the dispenser andsubsequently reassociated when the customer approaches the car wash area24 and is interrogated by the car wash interrogator 51. In the preferredembodiment, the dispenser operates in conjunction with the centralcontrol system 50 to provide authorization of the car wash purchased atthe dispenser. When the customer is at the car wash 24, the customer'stransponder is interrogated for an ID or a code, which the car washcontroller and/or the central control system 50 recognizes aspreauthorized. If additional security is necessary on any of theseembodiments, the customer may receive a code or other indicia, whichthey are required to enter or submit when the corresponding goods orservices are received.

Furthermore, the fuel dispenser 18 is not the only point of sale whereordering may take place. A customer having a transponder may, forinstance, order a car wash in conjunction with placing an order at thein-store QSR terminal or the convenience store terminal while purchasingfood or other merchandise. The interrogators at either of theseterminals can just as easily associate the car wash with the customertransponder and operate through the central control system 50 tosubsequently reassociate the customer and the car wash ordered at thecar wash interface 48. The multistage ordering disclosed herein providesa solution for keeping track of various transactions in a fuelingenvironment where customer orders are picked up in locations separatefrom where they are placed and very likely may not be picked up in theorder they were placed.

Loyalty Benefits

The present invention may also be configured to provide various types ofloyalty benefits based on past and/or current transactions. Loyaltybenefits will be provided to a customer in order to encourage subsequentreturn to a particular fueling environment or one of an associated groupof environments. The benefit may also encourage the purchase ofadditional products during the current or a subsequent transaction. Thebenefits may include cash rebates or discounts providing a type ofelectronic couponing to enhance merchandising and marketing efforts. Aloyalty point may be earned by a customer for each transaction,transaction amount, or type or quantity of a particular product orservice. For example, a loyalty point may be earned for each gallon ofgas purchased or for a fill-up requiring eight or more gallons of gas.The store operators have tremendous flexibility in determining thevarious criteria for earning loyalty points. Additionally, the loyaltybenefits or points are preferably redeemed by a customer in part, or inwhole, on subsequent visits to the same or an associated fuelingenvironment. Redeeming points at a subsequent transaction provides anincentive for a customer to return to environments participating in thebenefit program. Although redeeming points on a subsequent purchase ispreferred, benefits may be made immediately available based solely onthe current transaction. Furthermore, the benefits may be based uponcurrent and prior transactions, and allow for both current andsubsequent benefit. The basic flow of the process for providing suchbenefits is shown in FIG. 10C.

The process begins (block 540) when a transponder is interrogated (block542). Preferably, indicia, including identification indicia, is receivedfrom the transponder (block 544). Once the relevant controller receivesthe transponder indicia, one of two events typically occurs. The firstoption is to receive loyalty information, which is included in thetransponder indicia, directly from the transponder. Optionally, thecontroller may use the transponder indicia, preferably identificationindicia, to look up benefit information, including loyalty points,stored in an associated database anywhere within the fueling environmentor at a remote network (block 546). Thus, loyalty information may bestored on the transponder and transmitted to the relevant control systemor accessed from virtually any location based on some type ofidentification provided by the transponder.

At this point, the customer is engaging in a transaction and therelevant control systems will monitor such transaction (block 548) anddetermine whether to provide a benefit based on the current transaction(block 550). If a benefit is to be provided based on the currenttransaction, the controller will determine how to apply the currentbenefit information (block 552). The controller basically has twooptions. The controller may store the benefit information on thetransponder or the relevant database (block 554), or apply the currentbenefit information to the current transaction (block 556).

Regardless of whether a benefit is provided based on the currenttransaction, the controller will preferably determine whether or not toapply a stored benefit to the current transaction based on priortransactions (block 558). If a stored benefit is not available or thecontroller is not adapted to provide such benefit, the process ends(block 560). If a stored benefit is available for application to thecurrent transaction, the transaction is updated and the appropriatedatabase in the transponder or associated with the controller is updated(block 562). Typically, the benefit is applied to the currenttransaction at this time, and the process is ended (block 560).

The loyalty benefits capable of being provided by this process allowtremendous flexibility and automatically implement incentives toincrease customer loyalty and improve business.

Cash Customers

Another important aspect of the present invention is providing refundsand loyalty points or benefits to cash customers. Traditionally, servicestations were not able to monitor cash transactions or cash customersfor merchandising efforts or to provide these customers with benefitsthat were provided to card customers. The card customers provided theservice station operators with information to determine what types ofpurchasing activities specific customers had in addition to providingthe customer with various benefits based on prior purchases andtransactions. For example, a system comparable to the central controlsystem 50, alone or in conjunction with a remote host network 94, couldtrack customer purchases and provide a benefit based on a purchase typeor an amount of a series of purchases. Prior to applicant's invention,cash customers were basically "invisible" to these types ofmerchandising aspects of the fuel station environment.

Additionally, efforts have been made to provide cash acceptors at thefuel dispensers 18 to enable customers to pay cash at the dispenser inorder to expedite the fueling transaction for the benefit of the stationoperator and customer. The difficulty in using cash acceptors isproviding the customer proper change when the amount of fuel dispenseddiffers from the cash amount inserted into the cash acceptor 90.Although the fuel dispenser 18 is a sophisticated instrument, it is noteconomical to further include a change machine at each fueling positionof each dispenser. Thus, cash acceptor technology has not caught on inmost fueling environments. Furthermore, requiring a customer to enterthe store to receive his or her cash refund or change defeats thepurpose of paying at the dispenser. Similarly, since the customer'svehicle tank ullage is unknown, fueling to a prepaid dollar amount isoften impractical and inconvenient to the customer.

The present invention provides a solution to the above problems bykeeping track of cash customers and their respective refunds and loyaltypoints using transponder technology. A cash customer either carries atransponder or has a transponder mounted on his or her vehicle, and thetransponder is used to associate any refunds or loyalty benefits withthe otherwise invisible cash customer. The customer may use the cashacceptor 90 of the fuel dispenser 18 and receive any change as credit onor associated with the transponder. The transponder may simply providean ID and the central control system 50 or remote host network 94 willkeep track of the refund associated with that ID for later credit.Alternatively, the refund amount or credit may be directly transmittedto and stored on the transponder wherein that amount is transmitted to adispenser for credit on a subsequent fueling transaction or to a cashdispensing machine at the site.

With this invention, customer loyalty and merchandising programs aremade available using a transponder associated with a cash customer.Whether the customer pays at the dispenser or at one of the registersinside the store, interrogators placed at the dispensers, registers oranywhere else in the store can interact with the customer transponder inorder to keep track of loyalty points, benefit information or simplymonitor the customer's purchasing habits. This information is preferablystored at the central control system 50, at a remote host network 94 ordirectly on the transponder.

Attention is drawn to FIGS. 11A and 11B depicting a flow chartrepresenting basic interaction with the transponder of the cashcustomer. Typically, a new transaction begins when a cash customerhaving a personal transponder 12 or vehicle mounted transponder 14drives up to a fueling position at one of the dispensers 18 and beginsfueling (block 600). The customer will generally start a new transactionby beginning fueling (block 602). This is typically accomplished byinitially interacting with the fuel dispenser user interface comprisingthe key pad and display 102, 100 to select a cash or credit transaction.The dispenser control system 80 will determine if the customer is makinga cash transaction (block 604) and relay that information to the centralcontrol system 50. Although determining whether or not the customer isconducting a cash transaction occurs at the beginning of the fuelingprocess in FIGS. 11A and 11B, this determination can be made anytimeduring the fueling operation and at virtually any payment location,including the register or transaction terminal 30 in the store.

At this point, the dispenser control system 80, operating in conjunctionwith the dispenser interrogator 52, will retrieve the transponder ID(block 606). The dispenser control system 80 and central control system50 will operate to retrieve information relating to prior transactionswhich may affect the current transaction. This information may be cashrefunds from previous transactions, credits or loyalty points, or otherbenefits based on prior transactions. These benefits may includeelectronic couponing, wherein discounts for future purchases may beprovided for any variety of merchandising or marketing reasons.Depending on system configuration, this information may be stored on thetransponder, or at any of the control systems in the fuelingenvironment, such as the central control system, in addition to beingmaintained at a remote host network 94 system communicating with otherstations. When the information is stored on the transponder or at theremote network, loyalty programs and refund data is made easilyattainable by other fueling environment systems. Thus, the dispenser 18may retrieve prior transaction information from the transponder (block608) or retrieve this information from a database stored at one of manycontrol systems associated with the dispenser (block 610). Regardless ofsystem architecture, some type of identification indicia is necessary toassociate a particular customer's information with a correspondingtransponder. Subsequently, one of the controllers associated with thedispenser such as the dispenser control system 80, convenience storetransaction controller 152 or central site controller 232, willdetermine a transaction subtotal (block 612). The controller will applyany prior refinds, loyalty points or benefits the customer hasaccumulated due to the current transaction and/or any prior transactions(block 614). A new transaction total is then determined (block 616).

Next, payment is received at one of the in-store registers, such as thein-store transaction terminal 30, or at the cash acceptor 90 of thedispenser 18 (block 618). Notably, initial dispenser authorization maydepend upon receiving the cash payment at the beginning of the fuelingoperation and before fueling begins. The dispenser control system 80, orone of the associated controllers, will subsequently determine a refundamount and any loyalty points or benefits accumulated based on thecurrent transaction and any earlier transactions, accordingly. Thestation operator has tremendous freedom in determining the criteria forissuing benefits and points based on a single transaction or a series oftransactions. Depending on whether the information is stored directly ona transponder or elsewhere, the refund and loyalty information must betransmitted to the transponder through the appropriate interrogator,such as the dispenser interrogator 52 or the store transactioninterrogator 54. The appropriate interrogator primarily depends on wherethe actual cash transaction takes place. If the information is notstored on the transponder, the information will be stored at one of thelocal control systems or the host network 94 (block 624). Once thetransaction is over, the system will begin anew by waiting for anothertransponder-carrying cash customer (block 626).

Discount for Transponder use

Another aspect of the invention is providing a system capable ofapplying a discount to a transaction when a transponder or otherpreferred method of payment is used. The system is preferably adapted toprovide benefits or discounts to a transaction when a transponder isassociated with the transaction to encourage transponder use, whileavoiding cash payment or other less desirable payment methods.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 11C where a basic process fordiscounting a transponder related transaction is shown. As the processbegins (block 630), a transponder is interrogated (block 632) andtransponder indicia is received by one of the control systems in thefueling environment (block 634). The control system will proceed withthe transaction (block 636) and will ultimately determine what type ofmethod will be used for the transaction and what, if any, discount willbe provided based on the chosen method of payment.

Initially, the control system will determine whether or not atransponder is being used in association with the transaction (block638). If a transponder is being used, the control system will provide afirst discount rate to all or a portion of the transaction (block 640),and proceed to determine transaction totals (block 650). If atransponder is not used in association with the transaction, the controlsystem may determine whether or not a card, such as debit, credit orsmartcard, is used with the transaction (block 642). If a card is usedin association with the transaction, the control system may provide asecond discount for all or a portion of the transaction (block 644), andproceed to determine transaction totals (block 650).

If there is no transponder or card associated with the transaction, thecontrol system may determine whether or not the transaction is a cashtransaction (block 646). This may be by default if no card ortransponder is used, or may result from the customer selecting a cashtransaction or an operator indicating a cash transaction at a POSposition. If a cash transaction is determined, the control system isconfigured to provide a third discount rate to all or part of thetransaction (block 648) and proceed to determine transaction totals(block 650).

The system operator may elect to provide different rates for the first,second and third discount rates associated with the transponder, cardand cash transactions, respectively. Furthermore, the operator may electnot to provide a discount for all or any combination of the variousmethods of payment. Preferably, a greater discount is provided fortransactions using a transponder in order to encourage transponder usewith transactions. Similarly, to avoid the use of cash transactions, thesystem operator may decide not to provide any discount for cashtransactions. Once the transaction totals are determined (block 650) andthe appropriate discount rates are applied, payment is received (block652) and the process comes to an end (block 654). Those skilled in theart should quickly recognize the benefits inherent in certain paymentmethods to improve transaction efficiencies and encourage methods ofpayment beneficial to the station operator.

Cash Prepay with Transponder

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system andmethod for providing a prepaid transponder capable of being used withdispensers and other POS terminals in a fueling environment. The presentinvention allows a customer to prepay for subsequent transactions at aterminal capable of communicating with the transponder in order to storethe amount of prepayment on the transponder, or at least associate theamount of prepayment in a database associated with the terminal and anyfuture transaction locations, such as a fuel dispenser.

Attention is directed to FIGS. 11D and 11E where a basic process forusing a prepaid transponder is shown. When the basic process begins(block 660), a transponder is interrogated at a cash or other paymentreceiving terminal (block 662). The terminal will receive cash or othervalue (block 664), and either transmit to the transponder a value forthe cash or other prepayment received or store that value in a databaseassociated with the controller (block 666).

At this point, the transponder has value (or is associated with value)and is capable of being interrogated at various POS terminals. In thisexample, the POS is an interface at a fuel dispenser. During thetransaction, the dispenser will interrogate the transponder (block 668)and authorize a transaction within the stored credit or value of thetransponder (block 670). The transaction will proceed (block 672) andthe appropriate control system will determine that the values incurredduring a transaction remain less than the value of the transponder(block 674). As the transaction is monitored, the control system willstop or limit the transaction (block 684) before the value of thetransponder is exceeded. As long as the transaction remains less thanthe value of the transponder, the transaction will proceed untilcompleted (block 676). Once the transaction is complete, the controlsystem will determine transaction totals (block 678) and transmit suchtotals to the transponder for accounting (block 680). Alternatively,these totals may be sent to a database corresponding to the respectivetransponder in order to keep track of prepayment and associated totals.The accounting may be done at the transponder, wherein the value of thetransaction is received by the transponder and the appropriatecalculations are completed. Alternatively, the control system may simplyupdate the value associated with the transponder by either transmittingthis value directly to the transponder or storing it in the databasesassociated with the transponder.

Preferably, the control system will interact with the transponder or thedatabase maintaining the value associated with the transponder todetermine the remaining transponder totals or value (block 682), anddisplay such totals to the customer (block 686). These totals mayinclude the amount of prior transactions, the remaining value of thetransponder before the transaction, or the value of the transponderafter the transaction. The system operator will have great flexibilityin deciding the various accounting information made available to thecustomer. Preferably, the information will be sufficient to allow thecustomer to recognize when the transponder value is approaching zero (0)or a predefined threshold to alert the customer that it is time to addvalue to the transponder.

For example, the control system may monitor the transponder value todetermine whether that value is less than or equal to a predefinedvalue, such as zero, or any other desired threshold. If the value isless than or equal to the set value, the control system may beconfigured to alert the customer of the current transponder value andthat it has dropped below the threshold amount (block 690) and theprocess ends (block 692). If the transponder value is greater than thethreshold, the system operator may elect not to provide a warning to thecustomer and end the process (block 692).

Notably, during any portion of the process described above, the controlsystem may allow the customer to add value to the transponder at thecurrent transaction terminal. For instance, the customer may use thecash acceptor or card reader at the fuel dispenser to add value to thetransponder. The customer will simply determine an amount to add to thetransponder, and the dispenser interrogator will simply interrogate thetransponder and transmit the relevant added value information to thetransponder or receive the transponder ID and update an associateddatabase accordingly (blocks 662-666). Storing this value should beinterpreted to include adding to or subtracting from an existing valueor any other accounting necessary for operation.

Transponder Monitoring and Location Detection

In several aspects of the present invention, it is desirable todetermine the location and/or proximity of a transponder, whethervehicle mounted or carried by a customer, with respect to a specificfueling position of a dispenser or interrogation system. In otheraspects, it is desirable to track the transponder throughout the fuelingenvironment 10. Although the embodiments described herein use thedispenser as a reference, any of the interrogation systems in thefueling environment may be adapted to determine transponder locationand/or proximity.

Determining location and proximity of a transponder with respect to afuel dispenser in a fueling environment presents a unique problembecause the fueling environment includes multiple dispensers withmultiple positions. At any given time, numerous transponders will be inor moving about the fueling environment and the many interrogationfields associated with the various interrogators. The dispensers andassociated control systems must distinguish between personal andvehicle-mounted transponders used to carry out a transaction fromtransponders attached to a vehicle driving by the fueling position orcarried by a person walking by the dispenser. Fueling environments mustbe able to avoid communicating with a second transponder during atransaction with a first transponder.

Texas Instruments (TI) has made an attempt at implementing a system in afueling environment capable of communicating with transponders. The betasites for the Texas Instruments system are believed to communicate withtransponders using an interrogator transmitting an interrogation signalhaving a 134 kHz carrier. Certain transponders within range of the 134kHz signal will transmit a signal back to the interrogator using eithera 134 kHz or a 903 MHz carrier.

The TI system uses two different types of RFID devices: handheld and carmount transponders. The handheld transponder transmits and receivesradio communications at 134 kHz. The car mount transponder receives at134 kHz and transmits at 903 MHz. The dispenser is equipped with a largeloop antenna adapted to transmit at 134 kHz and a smaller antennaconfigured to receive at 903 MHz. The smaller 903 MHz antenna is mountedwith the large loop antenna at the top of the dispenser. The TI systemalso requires an antenna mounted on the dispenser face and adapted totransmit and receive at 134 kHz. The car mount transponder communicatesto the fuel dispenser via the large loop antenna located at the top ofthe dispenser.

A handheld transponder outside of the face mounted antenna's range mayreceive a signal transmitted from the loop antenna, but the dispenserwill not be affected because the handheld transponder responds to theloop antenna polling by transmitting back at 134 kHz, a frequencyignored by the 903 MHz receiving antenna. The only way that the 134 kHzsignal from the handheld transponder can be picked up by the dispenseris by putting the transponder within 2-6 inches of the fuel dispenserdoor, where the face antenna is located. The face antenna, which istypically mounted in the dispenser door for handheld transponders,cannot receive other signals due to its limited power and range.

The 134 kHz loop antenna sends the car mount transponder itsinterrogation ID number and the car mount transponder responds with thesame ID number so that its signal will be ignored by other dispenserloop antennas that accidentally pick up signals having differentinterrogation ID numbers. The loop antenna is not a directional antenna,but its range can be limited to a defined area with reasonable certaintyso that its 134 kHz interrogation signal is not picked up by another carat another dispenser. The loop antenna can be adjusted so that overlapwith other loop antennas in the forecourt is minimal or non-existent.

The 903 MHz signal sent by the car mounted transponder is omnidirectional meaning its signal can travel in all directions and can bepicked up easily by other dispensers. The reason that this is notproblematic is that the 903 MHz signal sent by the car mount transpondercontaining the interrogation ID number of the dispenser it wishes tocommunicate with will only be sent after being contacted by the signalhaving its interrogation ID number. This way, other dispensers withdifferent interrogation ID numbers will ignore a signal sent by a carmount transponder with a different interrogation ID number.

The 903 MHz signal transmitted from the transponder to the interrogatoris substantially non-directional and can be heard throughout the entirefueling environment and most likely for quite some distance outside thefueling environment. Transponder transmissions carrying throughout thefueling environment add significant difficulty in correlating atransponder with the proper dispenser and respective fueling position.In addition to the inherent difficulties in locating and distinguishingbetween transponders within the fueling environment, the TexasInstruments system requires different types of antennas, modulationschemes and communication electronics for transmitting and receivingsignals to and from the transponders.

Applicants'invention provides a solution to the difficulties of locatingand communicating with transponders within the fueling environment by(1) providing a communications system operating at frequency rangeswhich are very directional, (2) controlling the power at which thecommunications system operates and (3) simplifying the communicationselectronics by operating at the same carrier frequency whencommunicating with any transponder. Communicating at substantially thesame carrier frequency allows interrogators to use the same or similarantennas to transmit and receive. Furthermore, these more directionalfrequencies require smaller antennas, which are easily integrated intothe fueling environment or dispenser in an economical and aestheticallyacceptable manner.

The preferred arrangement of applicants' antennas is shown in FIGS. 12Aand 12B. In FIG. 12A, a side view of a fuel dispenser 18 under a canopyor awning 249 is shown with multiple configurations of antennas adaptedto communicate with various transponders proximate to either of thefueling positions A or B. The antennas are adapted to transmit, receiveor transmit and receive at substantially directional frequencies,including those in the microwave range, and preferably around about 2.45GHz. In these embodiments, there are basically three suggested antennalocations wherein various combinations of antennas at these locationsare used. Please note that the antennas of FIGS. 12A and 12B are notreferenced as 108, for the sake of clarity in describing antennaplacement.

The first antenna location is near the middle of a front face of thedispenser 18. A mid-dispenser transmit antenna 251 and mid-dispenserreceive antenna 253 are placed near this midpoint. The antennas may belocated in the central portion of the dispenser or located anywherealong the front face of the dispenser, including near the respectivesides of the dispenser as shown in FIG. 12B. The mid-dispenser antennas251, 253 preferably provide a limited power and limited range fieldpattern to communicate with a transponder 66 carried by a customer. Thefield provided by the mid-dispenser transmit antenna 251 is preferablylarge enough to properly communicate with the customer-carriedtransponder 66 in the fueling position and in front of the dispenserwithout requiring the customer to remove the transponder from a purse,wallet or pocket and wave the transponder next to the dispenser 18 or areceiving antenna.

Additionally, a top-mount transmit antenna 255 and top-mount receiveantenna 257 may be provided at or near the top of the dispenser 18 andadapted to provide a focused, directional and preferably conicallyshaped field downward over the respective fueling position. Thesetop-mount antennas 255, 257 are preferably located on each side of thedispenser 18 as shown in FIG. 12B in similar fashion to the preferredplacement of the mid-dispenser antennas 251, 253. The duplication andspacing of these antennas help avoid interference caused by people orother objects breaking the communication path between the respectiveantenna and transponder. This allows the transponder to communicate withthe dispenser through one antenna or set of antennas, even if somethingblocks the field from the other set of antennas.

Another option is to place the antenna substantially directly over thefueling position A or B. In such an embodiment, overhead receive antenna259 and overhead transmit antenna 261 are mounted over the fuelingposition A, B using an overhead antenna mount 263. The overhead antennas261, 263 operate in the same manner as the top-mount antennas 255, 257,and may also be spaced apart to provide varying positions to create aninterrogation field. Notably, the antennas for receiving andtransmitting may be combined into one wherein a suitable circulator orlike electronics 241 is incorporated into the interrogator orcommunications electronics to provide for reception and transmissionfrom a single antenna. With any of these embodiments, the antennas maycooperate directly with the central control system 50 or with thedispenser control system 80 to allow overall system monitoring oftransponders at the various positions. In these situations, the selectedcontrol system will alert the dispenser of transponder presence.

As noted, various combinations of these antennas can be used. Forexample, the preferred embodiment includes two mid-dispenser transmitantennas 251, two top-mount transmit antennas 255, and two top-mountreceive antennas 257. The top-mount receive antennas 257 are adapted toreceive signals transmitted from the transponder in response to signalsfrom either the mid-dispenser transmit antennas 251 or the top-mounttransmit antennas 255. In operation, when a customer-carried transponder66 enters the field provided by the mid-dispenser transmit antenna 251,the transmitter reflects a signal which is received by the top-mountreceive antenna 257. Alternatively, vehicle-mounted transponders 64 mayenter the interrogation field provided by the top-mount transmit antenna255 and respond with a signal received by the top-mount receive antenna257.

The interrogation fields provided by any of the transmit antennas 251,255, 259 may be adjusted to control the size and shape of the respectivefields. For example, the system may be configured to more easilydistinguish between transponders carried by a person and vehicle-mountedtransponders by configuring the respective interrogation fields providedby the mid-dispenser transmit antenna 251 and the top-mount transmitantenna 255 or overhead transmit antenna 259, such that the respectiveinterrogation fields do not overlap or overlap in a desired and selectpattern. Thus, communications resulting from an interrogation with themid-dispenser transmit antenna 251 indicate a transponder carried by thecustomer while communications resulting from the top-mount or overheadtransmit antenna 255, 259 may be indicative of vehicle-mountedtransponders.

Attention is now drawn to FIGS. 12C and 12D, which depict a flow chartof a basic process for monitoring the location and position of aparticular type of transponder using top-mount transmit antennas 255 oroverhead transmit antennas 259 and a mid-dispenser transmit antenna 251in conjunction with one or more top-mount or overhead-mount receiveantennas 257, 261. In this preferred embodiment, one or more of thetransmit antennas mounted substantially above the customer willalternate sending interrogation signals with one or more of themid-dispenser transmit antennas 251. A response to either of theseinterrogation signals is received at a receive antenna mountedsubstantially above the customer, such as one of the top-mount receiveantennas 257 or overhead receive antennas 261.

The basic operation of this embodiment begins (block 400) by alternatelytransmitting from the top and mid-mount antennas (block 402). Thecentral control system 50 or dispenser control system 80 will monitorfor responses from transponders within one of the interrogation fields(block 404). The control system will continue to monitor for atransponder response until a signal from a transponder is received(block 406). The control system will next determine from whichtransmission field the transponder is responding (block 408). In thisembodiment, where the transmission fields alternate, the control systemwill simply determine if a transponder response was received during atime period when the top or overhead-mount antennas were generating theinterrogation field or if the response occurred during the time themid-dispenser transmit antenna 251 was generating the interrogationfield.

Once the control system determines the field in which the transponder isresponding, the appropriate location of the transponder is known (block410). Typically, the transponder's response to the interrogation signalprovides transponder identification indicia indicative of the type oftransponder being interrogated (block 412). The type of transponder isgenerally vehicle mounted or carried by the person. Determining whetherthe transponder is vehicle mounted or carried by the person enables thecontrol system to determine how to react to the presence of othertransponders passing through the various interrogation fields during acommunication with another transponder or make sure a transponder isproperly located for the desired transaction. If the control systemdetermines the transponder is one carried by a person (block 414) andthat the transponder was within the mid-antenna field (block 416), thecontrol system allows the transaction to continue (block 420). If thetransponder is a customer-carried transponder that is not within themid-antenna field (blocks 414 and 416), the control system will returnto the beginning of the process (block 418). The latter situation isindicative of a transponder carried by the person being interrogated inone of the top or overhead antenna fields, which are preferably used tointerrogate vehicle-mounted transponders exclusively. Thus, the systempreferably ignores transponders carried by the person outside of themid-antenna field, which is preferably focused in a manner requiring thecustomer to be substantially in front of the customer interface of theappropriate fueling position. The field associated with themid-dispenser transmit antenna 251 is limited only by design choice andmay extend several or more feet in front and to the sides of the fueldispenser.

If the control system is communicating with a customer-carriedtransponder within the mid-antenna field, the control system may monitorfor the continued presence of the transponder in the mid-antenna field(block 422) or allow movement of the customer-carried transponderthroughout the fueling environment (block 422). Notably, it is oftendesirable to only require the customer-carried transponder to be withinthe mid-antenna field long enough to start the transaction and fuelingoperation, and allow the customer to leave the fueling area during thefueling operation. Unlike a customer-carried transponder, the controlsystem would preferably require the presence of the vehicle in theappropriate transmission field throughout the fueling operation forsafety reasons. Regardless of how the control system monitors thepresence or movement of the customer-carried transponder during thetransaction, the transaction will continue until complete (block 426),wherein the process will begin anew (block 428).

If the control system determines a vehicle-mounted transponder is withinthe appropriate transmission field (block 414), the transaction willcontinue (block 430). Preferably, the control system will make sure thatthe vehicle has stopped moving and has been in position long enough toindicate a transaction associated with the responding transponder islikely. As noted above, the control system will preferably continue tomonitor for the vehicle-mounted transponder's presence (block 432)throughout fueling. The control system is preferably capable ofdistinguishing responses from the vehicle-mounted transponder associatedwith the transaction from other personal or vehicle-mounted transpondersentering one or more of the transmission fields (block 434). If aresponse to an interrogation signal is received that does not correspondto the vehicle-mounted transponder associated with the transaction, theresponse is ignored (block 436).

Preferably, the control system will ignore all responses ofcustomer-carried transponders in the top-mount or overhead transmissionfields. Erroneous responses from other vehicles are rejected based onthe control system recognizing a response from a vehicle-mountedtransponder having a different identification indicia from thevehicle-mounted transponder associated with the ongoing transaction.Likewise, the control system will ignore responses from transpondersother than the authorized transponders to avoid communicating withtransponders of other customers entering the field during a transaction.In such case, the control system may check the identification indicia toensure communication continue with the appropriate transponder. Duringthis time, the control system will continue with the transaction (block438) until the transaction is completed (block 440).

If the transaction is not complete, the control system will continue tomonitor for the presence of the vehicle-mounted transponder and anyother transponders in the area (blocks 432-440). Once the transaction iscomplete (block 440), the process returns to the beginning (block 442).Although the preferred embodiment provides for mid and overheadtransmission fields wherein transponder responses are received near thetop or above the dispenser, those skilled in the art will recognize thatnumerous modifications of this configuration are within the inventiveconcept disclosed herein and subject to the claims that follow.

As noted, the interrogation communications system preferablycommunicates using substantially directional radio frequencies inconjunction with antennas configured to provide precisely shaped anddirected interrogation fields. Communications at these frequencies aregenerally limited to line-of-sight communications wherein arranging theantennas to cover a common interrogation field from different locationsavoids parallax and the effect of interference from objects comingbetween the transponder and one of the antennas. Generally,communications will require the absence of metal objects coming betweenthe antennas and transponders. Thus, when antennas are mounted withinthe dispenser, glass or plastic dispenser walls are preferable.Furthermore, vehicle-mounted transponders are preferably placed on thewindows or behind non-metal portions of the vehicle to avoidinterference.

Preferably, high-gain antennas are used to provide a highly directionaland configurable cone shape covering an area most likely to include atransponder when a vehicle is properly positioned for fueling. Theantenna range and transmission power is typically adjusted to providethe desired interrogation field while minimizing the potential for thetransponder to reflect signals to antennas associated with other fuelingpositions.

Another benefit provided by an embodiment of the present invention isthat spread-spectrum communications limits the likelihood that aninterrogator in the system will synchronize with a transponder beinginterrogated by another interrogator. Thus, a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention provides for a communications system capable ofdistinguishing between transponder types, limiting the potential oftransponders erroneously communicating with another interrogator,simplifying communications by using the same carrier for transmissionand reception, extending the interrogation field to more easilycommunicate with vehicle-mounted transponders, reducing the size of theantennas required for communication, and allowing either the same orsame type of antenna to be used for transmission and reception.

Alternate Antenna Configuration

Turning now to FIG. 13A, an alternative fueling environment 10 is shownhaving a station store 20 and the central control system 50 configuredto communicate with each of the dispensers 18. Multiple vehicles 14 aredepicted in and around the various fuel dispensers 18. Each of thedispensers may include an antenna 108. These antennas 108 may beoperatively associated with a corresponding dispenser interrogator 52and dispenser control system 80 (see FIG. 5). Please note that antennaplacement will depend upon the application and may include placing theantennas anywhere in the fueling environment 10 separate from thedispensers 18. Placing the antennas at non-dispenser locations isespecially operable in applications where the antennas are used todetermine transponder location.

The antenna 108 and dispenser 18 configuration in FIG. 13A isspecifically adapted to determine the proximity of a vehicle relative toa particular fueling position A, B associated with each dispenser 18.The different reception patterns are depicted in association with thetwo left most dispensers 18. The circular reception pattern 250 would beused to determine the proximity of a vehicle with respect to aparticular dispenser 18. Generally, only one antenna 108 is required forsuch an embodiment. As a vehicle approaches the dispenser having thecircular pattern 250, the dispenser's corresponding interrogator 52 anddispenser control system 80 will receive a signal transmitted from thetransponder 12, 14. The dispenser control system 80 will analyze certaincharacteristics of the signal received from the transponder, such asmagnitude or strength, to determine a relative proximity to thedispenser. Typically, a dispenser 18 having an antenna configurationproviding the basic circular pattern 44 is not able to distinguish atwhich side or fueling position A, B, the vehicle is positioned.

A dual-lobed pattern 252 associated with the second dispenser 18 fromthe left in FIG. 13A provides the dispenser control system 80 theability to determine at which fueling position A, B the vehicle islocated or approaching. In order to determine the particular fuelingposition A, B, a directional component is necessary in addition to theproximity component described above. To provide this directionalcomponent, multiple antennas may be used to create various types ofreception lobes where the antennas may be configured to only receivesignals from certain pre-set directions or areas. Regardless of theconfiguration, the dispenser control system 80 will monitor acharacteristic of the signal determinative of proximity, such asmagnitude or strength, in conjunction with determining the fuelingposition A, B to which the signal appears most proximate. In thedual-lobed embodiment 252, the dispenser control system 80 may measurethe signal characteristics received at both antennas 108 to determinefrom which antenna the received signal was strongest in order todetermine direction. Using directionally configured antennas will alloweach antenna to focus on one fueling position. Alternatively, placingthe antennas 107 in the forecourt under each fueling position allows foreasy determination of vehicle placement relative to a fueling positionas shown in FIG. 16.

The dispenser control system 80 may include electronics capable ofdetecting signal strength or magnitude and monitor for variationstherein. The magnitude monitoring circuitry 256 preferably includesautomatic gain control electronics feeding the received signal into ananalog-to-digital converter. Signal strength is turned into an 8-bitdigital string corresponding to a signal magnitude. The dispensercontrol system 80 will monitor the string for variations in signalstrength. As the signal magnitude increases, the dispenser controlsystem 80 will determine that the transponder is approaching, and viceversa.

The flow chart of FIGS. 14A and 14B outlines the process undertaken bythe dispenser control system 80 to determine the proximity or locationof a transponder 64, 66 with respect to a particular fueling position A,B of a dispenser 18. The process begins (block 700) with the dispensercontrol system 80 beginning to monitor for a transponder signal (block710). The signal may originate from an active transmitter in thetransponder or may reflect or scatter back to a dispenser interrogator52 and antenna 108. Upon detection of a transponder signal (block 720),the dispenser control system 80 will monitor a characteristic, such asmagnitude or phase of the signal (block 730). At this point, thedispenser control system 80 recognizes a transponder 64, 66 as near orapproaching the dispenser 18 and continues to monitor for the presenceof the signal (block 740). If the signal is lost or decreases, thedispenser control system 80 will determine that the transponder has leftor is leaving the reception area and will begin to monitor for a newtransponder signal (block 710). If the signal remains present and/orincreases, the dispenser control system 80 will determine the proximityof the vehicle with respect to the dispenser (block 750). Preferably,the dispenser control system 80 will monitor to determine whether or notthe signal strength is changing to ensure that the vehicle-mountedtransponder 64 does not move during the fueling operation.

In order to determine the particular fueling position A, B at which thetransponder is located, the dispenser control system 80 must determinewhich side of the dispenser the vehicle is at or approaching (block760). The dispenser control system 80 may simply monitor the signal withantennas at or near the particular fueling position designed to receiveusing a directionally sensitive antenna configuration, such as theembodiment of FIGS. 12A and 12B, the dual-lobed configuration 252 ofFIG. 13A, or the underground antennas 107 shown in FIG. 16.

Reference is again directed to FIGS. 14A and 14B. As a transponderapproaches a particular fueling position A, B, the dispenser controlsystem 80 determines if the transponder is within a certain fuelingproximity (block 770). When the vehicle is within fueling proximity, itis in a position close enough for the fuel dispenser 18 at thecorresponding fueling position A, B to allow fueling of the vehicle. Ifthe vehicle is not within fueling proximity, the dispenser controlsystem 80 continues to monitor the strength and direction of the signal(blocks 730-760). The dispenser control system 80 may determine whetherthe transponder or vehicle is within fueling proximity by simplyreceiving the transponder signal, receiving a signal magnitude above apredefined threshold, and/or determining whether the signal magnitude ischanging, indicating that the transponder and vehicle are moving.

Once the vehicle is in position for fueling, the dispenser controlsystem 80 activates the dispenser's fueling electronics as desired(block 780). During the fueling operation, the dispenser control system80 continues to monitor for the presence of a signal in decision block790. When the signal is no longer present, the dispenser electronics aredeactivated at block 795, and the dispenser control system 80 monitorsfor the next transponder signal at block 710 causing the process torepeat.

FIG. 13B depicts an embodiment wherein the location of transponders maybe tracked as they travel throughout the service station environment 10.In this embodiment, the dispensers 18 each include an antenna 108capable of receiving a signal from a transponder 64. Preferably, signalsfrom the antennas 108 are multiplexed together at the central controlsystem 50. The various control systems will receive the transpondersignal and monitor the location of the vehicle and determine thedispenser 18 and fueling position A, B at which the vehicle stops. Thedispenser control system 80 may, for example, monitor a characteristic,such as the phase, of the signal received by the various antennas 108associated with the dispensers 18 and use known computationaltechniques, based on the signal characteristics received at the variousantenna locations, to determine vehicle location. One such techniqueusing phase differences is triangulation.

Although the signal of only one vehicle transponder 64 is depicted, thevarious dispensers 18 and/or the central control system 50 may monitorfor the presence and location of a plurality of vehicles to determineproximity, direction of travel and location throughout the fuelingenvironment 10. Triangulation and other similar positioning and locatingtechniques generally require at least two antennas and provide betterresolution as the number of antennas 108 increase. The location of therespective antennas 108 may be virtually anywhere in the fuelingenvironment 10. Another alternative to multiplexing the various antennaslocated at the respective dispensers 18 or elsewhere in the fuelingenvironment 10 is to use multiple antennas in each dispenser orthroughout the fueling environment 10. Additionally, a globalpositioning system (GPS) could be used to communicate vehicle positiondirectly or through a remote network 94 to the central control system 50and on to the fuel dispenser 18.

The flow chart of FIG. 15 outlines the control process for theembodiment depicted in FIG. 13B. The process begins (block 800) andinitially monitors for the presence of a transponder signal (block 810).Once the signal is received (block 820), the dispenser control system 80monitors the characteristics of the signal for various antennas (block830). The dispenser control system 80 will next determine the locationof the transponder (block 840) using the monitored signalcharacteristics at the various antennas to triangulate or otherwisedetermine vehicle location. The precise fueling position A, B of thecorresponding dispenser 18 is determined (blocks 850 and 860) bycalculating the position at which the vehicle stopped. The dispensercontrol system 80 for the dispenser where the vehicle stopped willdetermine if the vehicle is within the fueling area (block 870). If thevehicle is within the fueling area, the dispenser's fueling electronicsare activated as desired (block 880). The dispenser control system 80will continually monitor the location of the vehicle to determine if thevehicle remains within the fueling area (block 890). Once the fuelingoperation is over and the vehicle leaves the fueling area, the dispensercontrol system 80 deactivates the dispenser's fueling electronics (block895) and monitors for a new transponder signal (block 810), whereuponthe process is repeated.

With respect to FIG. 16, an embodiment depicting underground antennas107 is shown. The two antennas 107 correspond to fueling positions A andB. The antennas are preferably multiplexed at an antenna multiplexer256. The multiplexer 256 sends the multiplex signals received by thecorresponding antenna 107 to the interrogator 52. Preferably,intrinsically safe barriers are used to provide electrical isolationbetween the antennas and the multiplexer 256 and/or interrogator 52.

Dual-Stage Preconditioning and Authorization Using Transponders

There are numerous examples of transponders being used in fleet-typeapplications for identifying a vehicle as being authorized to receivefuel at a specific fueling site. There are examples of radio frequencytransmissions being used to interface with onboard vehicle computers forthe purpose of transferring vehicle information to various locations,such as toll plazas, fuel dispensers and parking garages. A number ofschemes are known for identifying an individual for completing financialtransactions. These typically involve personal identification numbers(PIN), which are "secret" codes known only to the consumer and used inconjunction with financial account information in order to complete atransaction. These schemes typically include standard debit cards withassociated PIN's, contact and contactless smart cards with associatedPIN's, and smart-wired and wireless PIN pads used in conjunction withcard reading devices such as the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,967,366 to Kaehler.

Consumers have reacted favorably as the petroleum retailing industry hasaccepted card readers in the dispensers as a means for reducing the timerequired to complete payment for gasoline transactions. However, bothconsumers and the industry desire still further improvements oftransaction efficiencies. One aspect of the current invention is to usetransponder technology in a fueling environment to simplify thefinancial payment operation associated with the transaction at a fueldispenser and provide an enhanced level of security such that basictransponder communications cannot be "tapped" by unauthorized devicesand personnel in order to replicate communications to generatefraudulent transactions. This aspect involves an initial radio frequencyidentification process to provide preconditioning of the fuel dispenser,followed by an authentication process to provide transaction securityfor the financial aspects of the transaction. The invention isapplicable to both vehicle-mounted 64 and personal transponders 66, and,in certain embodiments, may require a second transponder associated withthe vehicle or customer for the authentication step. The secondaryauthentication process may require the customer to enter a PIN, speakfor a voice match, or supply a physical identifier, such as afingerprint, or other biometric identifier. Preferably, a voice print orother biometric signature of the customer is taken and stored in thetransponder's memory or a database associated with the dispenser controlsystem. Thus, the information must be received from the transponder orthe database associated with the dispenser control system as necessary.Alternatively, a second transponder may be used for part of the processto supplement and authenticate the first transponder, or the firsttransponder may act alone and provide a secondary transmission capableof authenticating the first transmission.

Attention is drawn to FIGS. 17, 18A and 18B wherein a schematic and flowchart are depicted detailing the system and process of a preferredembodiment implementing dispenser preconditioning followed by atransaction authorization. In FIG. 17, a vehicle 14 has a firstvehicle-mounted transponder 64 and a second vehicle-mounted transponder65. The customer 12 may also have a personal transponder 66. Althoughnot depicted, fuel dispenser 18 is preferably connected as discussedabove with the central control system 50, and includes a customerinterface having a display 100 and key pad 102, a dispenser interrogator52 and an associated antenna 108. The dispenser may also include amicrophone 258 operatively associated with audio processing circuitry260 (see also FIG. 5) and a video camera 262. The microphone 258 andcamera 262 may provide a bi-directional audio/video intercom between thedispenser 18 and the QSR or convenience store operator interfaces. Inthis application, the microphone 258, in conjunction with the audioprocessing circuitry 260 or the camera 262, may function to provide avoice print of the customer or an image of the customer to authenticatea transponder. Likewise, a fingerprint imager 264 may use a customer'sfingerprint to authenticate the transponder.

With this dispenser architecture in mind, specific reference is made tothe flow chart of FIGS. 18A and 18B. As a customer 12 approaches afueling station (within vehicle 14), and, in particular, a fuelingposition at a dispenser 18, either the customer transponder 66 orvehicle transponder 64 is initially interrogated as the interrogator 52monitors for the presence of a transponder (blocks 900 and 905).Typically, the interrogator 52 in conjunction with the dispenser controlsystem 80 will continuously check to see if a transponder is present(block 910). If a transponder is not present, the dispenser controlsystem 80 will continue to monitor for the transponder (block 905). If atransponder is detected, the dispenser control system 80 will receiveindicia from the first transponder corresponding to the particulartransponder's identification information (block 915). Preferably, thedispenser 18 will continuously monitor the transponder's location orproximity to a particular fueling position (block 920). Furtherinformation is provided relating to vehicle monitoring and positioningin applicants' U.S. Pat. Application entitled INTELLIGENT FUELING filedon Dec. 6, 1996, Ser. No. 08/759,733, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

Typically, the transponder is read using energy provided from theantenna 108 located on the dispenser 18, forecourt 16, or anywhere elsein the fueling environment 10. The transponder may respond to thisenergy by providing signals to the dispenser interrogator 52. Thedispenser control system 80 will operate to determine the generallocation or proximity of the vehicle 14 with respect to a correspondingfueling position at the fuel dispenser 18. Preferably, the dispenserinterrogator 52 will maintain constant contact with the transponder. Thedispenser control system 80 will monitor transponder communications todetermine the fueling position at which the vehicle (and customer) stop(block 925).

Once the appropriate fueling position is determined, informationreceived from the vehicle (or customer) transponder is used to"precondition" the fuel dispenser 18 (block 930). Preconditioning meansreadying the dispenser for the fueling transaction. The extent ofreadiness may vary with each application, but may include determiningthe proper fuel, fuel type, flow rates for the vehicle and/or runninginitial checks on account information, adjusting vapor recoveryequipment based on the absence or presence of onboard vapor recoveryequipment, or simply initializing the pump electronics. For example, afuel dispenser may be preconditioned to a point where fueling will beauthorized once secondary information is received to authorize theinformation used for preconditioning and/or the transponder. Thecustomer may also elect to receive select information or targetedadvertising as discussed below under "Customer Preferences." Thepreconditioning may take place solely at the fuel dispenser controlsystem 80, in conjunction with the central control system 50, or mayrequire communication with an on- or off-site database, such as theremote network 94. Having achieved the preconditioning of the dispenserbased on a first transponder indicia, which is generally related totransponder identification, the financial aspects of the transponder aresubsequently authorized.

Receiving additional or second indicia is required for authorization inaddition to the indicia received for preconditioning (block 935). Oneoption is to have the dispenser control system 80 adapted to prompt thecustomer to enter a PIN on the key pad 102 so that both the transponderdata and an associated PIN number are made available to the appropriatedatabase as a matched pair in order to obtain authorization andsubsequent payment information (block 940).

Another option is to receive the second indicia from a secondtransponder, distinct from the first transponder that initiallytransmits the information for preconditioning (block 945). In thisembodiment, the first transponder may be either an additionaltransponder 65 on the vehicle 14, or the personal transponder 66 carriedby the customer 12. If the first or preconditioning transponder istransponder 64 on the vehicle 14, the second transponder providingauthorization may be a customer transponder 66 or the other vehicletransponder 65. If the first or preconditioning transponder is thecustomer transponder 66, the second transponder may be one of thevehicle transponders 64, 65.

As easily seen, many configurations are available where a firsttransponder transmits information for preconditioning, and a secondassociated transponder provides information for authorization. Once thefirst transponder provides the preconditioning indicia, the secondtransponder will subsequently provide second indicia from whichauthorization or authentication is derived. This secondary indicia maybe an authentication ID which is matched in a database in one of theassociated control systems with the ID or information received from thefirst transponder. If the information from both transponders correspondsappropriately, the transaction is authorized.

A third alternative is to provide a transponder capable of providingboth the first preconditioning indicia followed by a secure or encryptedtransmission representing the second indicia required for authorizationor authentication (block 950). Preferably, the transponder is capable ofprocessing data received from the dispenser interrogator 52, processingor encrypting the data and transmitting the data or secure code back tothe dispenser for authorization or authentication. Again, one of thecontrol systems associated with the dispenser will compare the originalpreconditioning indicia and the second authorization or authenticationindicia before authorizing the financial portion of a transaction andallowing the dispensing of and payment for fuel.

When only a customer transponder 66 is present (the vehicle transponderis not present), the transaction is initiated or preconditioned solelyby the customer transponder 66 located on a key, key fob/ring or card.Upon selecting a fueling position, the customer will exit the vehicleand prepare for fueling. Preferably, the dispenser will read thecustomer transponder 66 and recognize that a vehicle transponder is notpresent. Such recognition may result from a vehicle transponder notbeing detected or information transmitted by the personal transponderindicating that a personal transponder is present or a vehicletransponder is not available. In this situation, the dispenser willprompt the customer for a PIN, which is compared with the informationreceived from the transponder in order to authenticate the transaction.Optionally, the customer transponder is a secure, intelligenttransponder capable of being read by the dispenser interrogator,providing information such as a code, performing a secured computationat the transponder, and responding with secondary information in orderto validate the transponder and authorize the transaction.

Another option for secondary authorization or authentication indicia isto receive a voiceprint using the microphone 258 and audio processingcircuitry 260 in conjunction with one of the associated dispensercontrol systems. Fingerprints may also be compared using the thumb- orfingerprint imager 264 (shown in FIG. 5).

Regardless of how the second indicia for authorization or authenticationis received, one of the control systems will check the second indiciafor authorization purposes as discussed above (block 955). If thecontrol system determines the second indicia is not proper authorizationor authentication of the first, preconditioning indicia, the controlsystem will display a message indicating the transaction is notauthorized (block 965) and will prevent fuel delivery. If thetransaction is authorized (block 960), the control system will enablefueling (block 970) and monitor for the end of fueling (blocks 975 and980) until the transaction ends (block 985).

With the embodiments requiring second indicia from the same or separatetransponder for authentication or authorization, the transponder isadapted to bi-directionally communicate with the dispenser, whichfurther communicates with a host network 94 in cooperation with thecentral control system 50 to provide secure authorization of thetransponder(s) and to enable transactions. In certain applications, itis desirable to avoid transmitting data from which valuable account orfinancial information could be derived between the tag and thedispenser, or the dispenser and the host network 94. Preferably, all ora majority of the account or financial information requiring absolutesecurity is stored only at the host network 94. Thus, in the preferredembodiment, neither the transponders, dispenser 18 nor central controlsystem 50 has access to critical financial or account information. Inmore localized applications, the central control system 50 may haveaccess to such information.

Certain embodiments of the present invention also provide high levels ofsecurity for transmissions. In order to avoid placing certaininformation at risk during transactions, the invention provides a uniqueidentifier indicia for each transponder, and the host network maintainsaccount and financial information associated with the transponder havingthe unique identifier. The identifier is transmitted to the host network94 through the dispenser 18 and central control system 50. The hostnetwork 94 checks to see that the transponder, and not a counterfeit,has provided the identifier. Once the host system determines that anauthorized transponder sent the identifier, the host network 94authorizes the dispenser to further interact with the transponder andauthorize subsequent transactions based thereon.

Preferably, the transponder is authenticated using cryptographytechniques known only by the transponder and host, but not by thedispenser or central control system 50. The preferred authentication orauthorization process is shown in FIG. 19. In step one, the dispensercontrol system 80, in conjunction with the dispenser interrogator 52,generates and sends a random number (CRN) to the transponder. Thetransponder will encrypt the random number (CRN) and return theencrypted random number (TRN) to the dispenser along with a transponderidentification number (ID) in step two. In step three, the dispenser 18relays the transponder ID, the encrypted random number (TRN) receivedfrom the transponder, and the random number (CRN) to the host network 94without modification. When using the host network 94, this informationis transferred through the central control system 50. In more localizedapplications, the primary functions of the host network 94 may beprovided by the central control system 50. In the preferred embodiment,the tag ID number is 10 bytes, the random number (CRN) is 8 bytes, andthe encrypted random number (TRN) is 8 bytes.

Upon receipt of the transponder ID from the dispenser 18 (throughcentral control system 50), the host network 94 calculates or looks upin a database a main transponder key associated with the transponderusing the transponder ID. Preferably, the host network 94 will haveinitially generated the main keys stored in the transponder and will usethe same keys to cryptographically communicate with the transponder. Thehost network 94 will have cryptography electronics adapted to encryptthe random number using the main transponder key and compare the resultto the encrypted random number received from the transponder. If thenumbers match, the transponder is a valid transponder, and most likelynot a counterfeit. The host network will then use the ID number to lookup transaction billing data or other customer related informationcorresponding to the transponder and authorize the dispenser to carryout the desired and authorized transactions in step four. Additionalinformation is provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/895,417filed Jul. 16, 1997, entitled CRYPTOGRAPHY SECURITY FOR REMOTE DISPENSERTRANSACTIONS in the name of William S. Johnson, Jr., the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

Transponder Theft

With the enhancements and transaction efficiency associated with usingtransponders, security concerns arise based on theft of informationtransmitted to and from the transponders, as well as theft of thetransponders themselves. The present invention addresses the issue ofstolen transponders in a number of ways. Preferably, a database ismaintained, which keeps track of stolen or lost transponder ID's and ischecked by the dispenser or central control system prior to authorizingeach fueling operation in which transponders are used. The database maybe kept at the dispenser, central control system 50, or at the remotenetwork 94 for more regional and national protection. Where thetransponder is intelligent, the dispenser control system 80 deletes afraudulent transponder. The dispenser control system 80 may send asignal to the transponder 64, 66 to disable the transponder, act toinhibit future transactions, or alert other fueling environments whensubsequent transactions are attempted.

The basic flow of this theft deterrent and prevention system is shown inFIG. 20 wherein a fueling process begins (block 1000) and thetransponder ID is received (block 1005). In addition to the transponderID, the transponder may inform the dispenser control system 80 that thetransponder has been stolen or is being used by an unauthorized party.This theft or unauthorized use signal is preferably generated by thetransponder in response to a dispenser in a subsequent transactionattempt transmitting a form of disabling signal to the transponder.Transmission of this signal is described in greater detail below.

The dispenser will next determine if the transponder is lost or stolenbased on the signals received from the transponder by accessing a localor national database listing transponders which were lost, stolen orused by unauthorized parties (block 1010). After comparing thetransponder ID with those listed in the database, the dispenser willdecide whether or not the transponder is lost, stolen or being used byan authorized party (block 1015). If the transponder does not appear inthe database, the dispenser will proceed with the fueling transaction(block 1020) until the end of the transaction is reached (blocks 1025and 1030). If the dispenser determines that any use of the transponderis unauthorized from any one of the local or national databases, thedispenser will preferably interrogate the transponder to download anytransaction history or information available on the transponder to helptrack unauthorized uses and determine the identification of theunauthorized user (block 1035). For example, the transponder may be ableto track the various locations in which the user attempted to use thetransponder. If the user attempted to use any identification means inassociation with this transponder use, the prior dispensers and controlsystems may have attempted to transmit this user identification to thetransponder for subsequent transaction attempts.

As noted above, an important aspect of one embodiment of the presentinvention is the dispenser's ability to transmit a disable signal to thetransponder to prevent authorizations of unauthorized users andsubsequent transaction attempts (block 1040). The disable signal maysimply be a signal informing the transponder that any subsequent use isunauthorized. The signal may completely shut down the transponder toprevent any subsequent communications or disable any transactionauthorization features while maintaining communication ability. In thelatter case, the transponder may be used to help track unauthorizedtransaction attempts and identify the unauthorized user.

The dispenser will also disable the present fueling operation andattempted transaction (block 1045) before delivering fuel or authorizinga financial transaction associated with the transponder. During thistime, the dispenser will attempt to gather as much customer informationas possible (block 1050). For example, the dispenser control system 80may mark any type of identification information received from the useras well as record any physical information possible, such as markingvideo taken from the camera 262 or audio from microphone 258 (block1050). The system may also alert one or more of the operators of thefueling environment and one or more security services via the local orremote systems (block 1055). The system may be tied into a network whichwill alert the police or simply update the security database in order tomaintain transaction or attempted transaction histories (block 1060) andthe process will end (block 1030). Upon determining a transponder hasbeen lost, stolen or used in an authorized manner, the system maycommunicate with the transponders to effectively lockout the dispenseras well as the transponder. Those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will not limitthe inventive concept disclosed or protected by the claims that follow.

Drive-Off Prevention

Similar to the theft prevention and general prevention of transponderuse by unauthorized persons, steps must be taken to prevent authorizedcustomers from using the transponder in unauthorized ways. Of primaryconcern is preventing a customer from driving off before paying for thefuel or any other purchases made at the dispenser or anywhere else inthe fueling environment. In many situations, the complete financialtransaction will require more than a purely remote interaction betweenthe dispenser and transponder. The customer may be required to provideadditional payment means, such as cash, a credit/debit/smart card or PINnumber. In a situation where the product or service may be deliveredbefore the transaction is completed, or especially when the transponderis used for reasons other than payment, the present invention will actto deter or prevent repetition of this event in the future. Notably, notall drive-offs are intentional, and the transponder may act with variousfueling environments to remind the customer at a subsequent fuelingtransaction that a drive-off occurred during a previous operation.

The flow of an embodiment of applicant's drive-off prevention process isshown in FIG. 21. The fueling operation will begin (block 1100) whereinthe dispenser will receive transponder identification indicia, which isgenerally the transponder ID (block 1105). The dispenser control system80 and/or central control system 50 will monitor the transaction todetect a drive-off condition (blocks 1110, 1115). The system willgenerally monitor for the drive-off condition until the transaction isboth physically and financially complete.

If a drive-off condition is detected (block 1115), the dispenser willtransmit a drive-off signal to the transponder indicating the drive-offcondition has or is occurring. The system will quickly gather anycustomer information from the transponder and from the fuelingenvironment (block 1125) in the same fashion discussed with transpondertheft. The dispenser will also alert the system operator, securitypersonnel and, most importantly, the customer (block 1130). In manysituations, the customer may have simply forgot to complete thetransaction or may decide to abort the attempted drive-off after hearingthe alert. If a drive-off occurs in spite of these warnings, a databaseassociated with the local central control system 50 or the remotenetwork 94 is updated accordingly. Once this database is updated,subsequent transactions will be prevented when the database is accessedto determine if prior drive-offs have occurred (see block 1110).Alternatively, a transponder disable signal may be sent to thetransponder before leaving the fueling area to lockout futuretransactions, as discussed in the previous section. The customer may beinformed of the drive-off at the subsequent location in an attempt toperfect the prior transaction in which the drive-off occurred.Additionally, the transponder could act to disable the car if suchcontrol electronics are available and coupled to the transponder.

Transaction Guidelines and Limitations

Another unique aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is theability to use transponders to provide guidelines and limitations ontransactions associated with the transponder. These transactions may becash, credit or debit type transactions so long as a transponder iscommunicably associated with the dispensing system somewhere before,during or after the fueling or purchase transaction. These guidelinesand limitations on customer purchases are either stored in a database inassociation with a transponder ID and accessible by the dispenser orcentral control systems 80, 50 or transmitted from the transponder tothe dispenser during each transaction. Regardless of the manner ofaccess, the dispenser control system 80 and the central control system50 will cooperatively operate to carry out transactions according tothese guidelines and limitations.

Attempts to circumvent the guidelines or limitations will preferablyresult in a message to the customer or operator that the item or servicepresented for purchase is not available to that particular customer whenthe transaction is associated with the customer transponder. Theseguidelines and limitations may affect both fueling and non-fuelingtransactions. The guidelines and limitations may be used to set aparticular dollar amount or limit what the customer associated with thetransponder may spend, as well as limit the frequency and the types ofpurchases made by the customer. For example, parents may place limits ontheir children's spending amounts, snack purchases or the frequency offill-ups, in addition to preventing the purchase of alcoholic beverages.Given the tremendous latitude made available with using suchtransponders for transactions, authorization controls provide safety andsecurity features making the tasks of those supervising the customersassociated with the transponders significantly easier. The invention isparticularly useful for fleet fueling applications wherein drivers arelimited to selected purchases and purchase amounts.

With these concepts in mind, attention is directed to FIG. 22 depictinga general flow of a fueling or purchase transaction wherein transponderguidelines or limitations are enforced. Typically, the fueling operationwill begin by a customer driving up to a fuel dispenser and anassociated transponder transmitting identification indicia to thedispenser (block 1200). The dispenser control system 80 will receive thetransponder identification indicia via the interrogator 52 (block 1205).At this point, the dispenser control system 80 and/or the centralcontrol system 50 will receive transaction guidelines from a databasekept at the central control system 50 or the remote network 94.Alternatively, the dispenser control system 80 may receive thetransaction guidelines directly from the transponder (block 1210).

Throughout the fueling operation, one or more of the control systemswill monitor the operation to maintain fueling according to anyguidelines or limitations as set forth above (block 1215). Additionally,the control systems will operate to monitor non-fuel transactionsoccurring before, during or after fueling to ensure that any guidelinesor limitations are followed (block 1220). The non-fuel transactions maytake place at the dispenser 18 or at one of the transaction terminals30, 34 in the fuel station store. The control systems will monitor thepurchases entered into the graphical user interface or scanned in by theoperator. If the type, amount or frequency of the purchase is not withinthe guidelines or limitations, any such items are identified and theoperator is alerted as necessary (block 1240).

If all of the fueling and non-fueling transactions are within theguidelines and limitations, the transaction is authorized (block 1230)and the transaction is ended (block 1235). The portions of thetransaction which are authorized, if any, are allowed (block 1245) andthe transaction is ended (block 1235).

Creating A Shadow Ledger

Given the significant advances in remote communications technology,remote communications units, or transponders as referred to herein, haveever increasing computational capabilities. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B,the transponders may have one or more controllers 124, 142 and asignificant amount of associated memory 126. As noted, the transpondersmay be passive or active and may provide significant data processing andmemory storage. In these "smart" transponder embodiments, it ispreferable to keep a running tally of financial and transactionalinformation. This is especially useful in smartcard-type embodimentswherein the transponder will actually provide prepaid functions directlyon the transponder. In order to provide additional transaction securityand tracking, a further aspect of the present invention is creating ashadow ledger at the central control system 50 or the remote network 94of the transaction information stored on the transponder. This shadowledger is updated during communications with the transponder. In thismanner, transponder account information may be checked and the shadowledger may be updated regarding transactions occurring outside of thefueling environment or associated transaction network.

Turning now to FIG. 23, a block diagram of the transponder 12, 14 isshown having controller communication electronics 124, memory 126 andsoftware 128 sufficient to provide a transponder ledger 270. Thetransponder 64, 66 will communicate with a fuel dispenser interrogator52 of a fuel dispenser 18. The fuel dispenser control system 80 willcooperate with the central control system 50 and its controller 232 toprovide transaction and other transponder information to a remotenetwork 94. The remote network 94 includes sufficient memory to providea network ledger 272 for the particular transponder 64, 66 incommunication with the fuel dispenser 18. The network ledger 272 iscompared and updated as necessary during transactions involving thetransponder 64, 66. Alternatively, a local ledger 276 may be kept at thecentral control system in memory 234.

The basic process of maintaining a shadow ledger apart from thetransponder is shown in FIG. 24. As a transaction process begins (block1310), the dispenser 18 will receive transponder identification indicia(block 1320). The identification or other indicia may also indicatewhether or not a transponder ledger is being kept or provide sufficientinformation to allow one of the control systems associated with thedispenser to access a database indicating whether or not there is aledger for that particular transponder.

Next, the transponder will download the information in the transponderledger 270 to the dispenser interrogator 52 and controller 80. Thedispenser control system 80 will subsequently relay the transponderledger information to the central control system 50 if a local ledger276 is kept or relay the information to the host network 94, if anetwork ledger 272 is provided. The shadow ledger (local or network) isaccessed for the particular transponder using the transponderidentification indicia (block 1340) and the transponder and shadowledgers are compared (block 1350). If the ledgers equate, no update isnecessary and the process is ended (block 1360 and 1380). If the ledgersdo not equate (block 1360), the shadow ledger is updated (block 1370)and the process is ended (block 1380). Keeping a shadow ledger andupdating it as necessary when communications are available with thetransponder provides additional security for transponder transactions,indicates transactions occurring outside of the ledger system orassociated network, and provides an up-to-date accounting accessiblewhen the transponder is unavailable for communications.

Transaction Tracking

The present invention also provides an embodiment adapted to tracktransponder transactions throughout a number of fueling environmentsoperatively associated with the host network 94. The basic flow oftransaction tracking is shown in FIG. 25 wherein a typical fuelingoperation begins (block 1400) by a transmission from the transponder oftransponder identification indicia to the dispenser 18 (block 1410).During the transaction, transaction information is received from thetransponder and/or gathered by the dispenser and central control systems(blocks 1420 and 1430). The information received and gathered preferablyincludes information such as the type of transaction, the dollar amountper transaction, frequency of transactions, and the location of thesetransactions. The information gathered by the central control system 50may be relayed to the host network or major oil company network 94(block 1440). The information is updated and compiled at the hostnetwork (block 1450) to enable study of customer activities andtransactions. This information is very valuable in advertising andmerchandising in the fueling environment. Once the information iscompiled at the network 94, the process is ended (block 1460).

Customer Preferences

The evolution of fuel dispensing stations has resulted in thedevelopment of faster and more efficient ways to dispense and pay forfuel. In the past, customers had to go inside a store to pay anattendant for dispensed fuel. Now systems exist that allow customers topay for fuel at the dispenser with a credit or debit card withoutpersonally paying an attendant and without having to go inside a store.As a result of paying at the pump rather than personally paying anattendant inside a store, customers are less frequently going inside theconvenient stores and, therefore, less often exposed to conveniencestore products and promotions, which are generally more profitable thanfuel. These newer fuel dispensing stations give the ability to displayvisual information to the customer and prompt the customer to physicallyinteract with the fuel dispensing station before, during and afterdispensing fuel.

It is well known in the art of fuel dispensers to provide a CRT or othertype of screen to deliver instructions, graphics and pictures during thefueling process. Currently these display screens, for the most part, areonly used to give the user of the fuel dispenser more aestheticallypleasing instructions during the fueling process. One new feature of thedisplay includes the ability to provide video intercom as disclosed inGilbarco patent application Ser. No. 08/659,304 entitled ENHANCEDSERVICE STATION FUNCTIONALITY filed Jun. 6, 1996, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference. This display also providesthe ability to display video presentations, including advertisements.

With so much information available that can be displayed, a problemexists on how to manage and provide the information to the customer. Itis desirable to have the ability to deliver the data on the screen at afuel dispenser from outside sources such as satellites or data networks.That way, this data which usually requires large memory areas to storesince it includes video data does not have to be stored locally at everyfuel dispensing station. Rather, a central provider can deliver theinformation to the fuel dispenser so that it does not have to be storedredundantly at each fuel dispenser location.

With the current wave of data network technology, including theInternet, the ability to deliver information to a customer will continueto evolve. For instance, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/896,988filed Jul. 18, 1997, entitled INTERNET CAPABLE BROWSER DISPENSERARCHITECTURE to Leatherman et al., incorporated herein by reference,discusses an interactive fuel dispenser having a plurality of fueldispensers operating in conjunction with a local server in which eachfueling position acts as a client of the local server at the fuelstation store. This local server could be connected to any variety ofnetworks to provide information at the fuel dispenser, including theInternet. This invention discusses how the fuel dispensers and stationwill be connected to data networks to allow information to be deliveredto a user, but it does not discuss the problem of how this informationwill be managed at the fuel dispenser. A user of a fuel dispenser maynot have the expertise nor the time to access the information he desiresin a reasonable amount of time due to the huge amount of data availabletoday over the data networks and the fast changing availability ofdifferent and new types of information and data from data networks orthe Internet.

A need exists to provide a way for the user of a fuel dispenser toeasily retrieve the information he desires without time consumingselections that must be made for each use and without the confusion thatmay be caused by continuous changes in available selections and theformat in which they are displayed on a screen at a fuel dispenser. Onecan envision the plethora of information selections that will beavailable to the user of a fuel dispenser in the future. It will bequite time consuming for the user to traverse a web of menus to selectthe information desired when the choices of selections become greaterand greater. It can also be appreciated that changes in the informationavailable for selection may make the user frustrated if the user wantsthe same type of information generally and does not want to accessdifferent types of information each time.

The present invention allows a customer to pre-select which types ofinformation he wishes to access at a fuel dispenser station or otherstation. With the current systems in the fuel dispensing industry, acustomer uses a credit card to initiate and authorize a fueltransaction. The customer card number is read by the fuel dispenser andsent back to the fuel site controller. The fuel site controller sendsthe credit card number to a host network through modem or other datanetwork communications. The host computer looks up the credit cardnumber and authorizes the fuel transaction with a message back to thesite controller. Every time the customer uses the particular credit cardto authorize a fuel transaction, the host computer may not onlyauthorize the card, but also look up the pre-registered informationstored for that particular credit card and send a message back to thesite controller indicating the customer's preferences. The sitecontroller could provide this information to the customer automaticallyat the fuel dispenser without having to make any selections.

The manner in which pre-registration for credit cards may beaccomplished could be by an application that is sent to the credit cardor fuel card companies indicating the choice of information to bedelivered. For example, the information choices could include weatherreports, local traffic reports, stock reports, etc.

An improvement in the site controller's determination of customerpreferences is through the use of a transponder. As noted, thetransponder can be hand-held or car mounted. The car mounted version ofthe transponder may be linked with the car's control system.

The transponder could reserve some of its user memory to store customerpreferences. Whenever a customer uses the transponder to authorize afuel transaction, the transponder ID may be sent by the fuel dispenserto the site controller and on to the host network so that the credit orfuel card number can be associated with the transponder ID to which thefuel will be charged. During the authorization process, the fueldispenser interrogator could also interrogate the transponder for thecustomer's information preferences locally rather than having to obtainthis information from the host computer. This method would savebandwidth and access time by the site controller to the host computer.

The user of the fuel dispenser must have a method for indicating andstoring which type of information is to be registered and delivered tothe customer each time a fueling transaction takes place. The user mustalso have the ability to change this information whenever needed. Thereare several ways to accomplish this task.

For the credit or fuel card method, the credit card or fueling cardcompanies could provide a database to allow a customer to pre-registerwhich types of information he wishes to be displayed whenever hedispenses fuel with the particular credit card or transponder. Thecustomer could access this database for selections by automatedtelephone service or other means. This pre-registered information wouldbe stored in the host computer. The host computer would send a messageto the site controller indicating which information the customerdesires. This message may only include the type of information to bedisplayed and not necessarily the actual information itself. The sitecontroller may have links to other data networks or systems to providethe actual information. The site controller or individual fuel dispenserwould make the decision on what type of information to provide and whatsource to provide it from.

The transponder arrangement provides a couple of easy ways topre-register data desired on a transponder. The customer could selectthe type of information to be displayed when initially applying for thetransponder to be linked to the customer's credit card. Alternatively,the fuel dispenser itself could have a menu and selection available forthe customer to select the information desired and the fuel dispensercould download the information to the transponder.

With the credit or fueling card embodiment, the customer can use anautomated phone service to access a database which stored thepre-registered information selections, or the credit/fuel card companycould provide an application to be mailed in and entered into thedatabase by an operator.

With the first arrangement, the customer could also change his selectionat the fuel dispenser by selecting the option to change hispre-registered selections, or a computer could be provided inside aconvenience store for the same purpose. The computer or fuel dispenserwould simply have an interrogator capable of communicating with thetransponder to store the pre-registered selections made by the customer.

Of course, if the customer begins the fueling process and wishes tooverride or cancel the pre-registered information to be delivered, hecan do so with a selection at the fuel dispenser. At this point, thecustomer may traverse through any menus provided to access otherinformation not pre-registered, or may choose to not have anyinformation provided to him at all. In the case of a data networkservice provider connection, the customer could opt out of thepre-registered data and surf his account or service just as he would onhis personal computer.

As discussed above, the present invention provides features adapted topersonalize a fueling operation on a customer-by-customer basis. Inoperation, the dispenser 18 will generally interrogate the transponderand receive customer preferences or an ID, which will allow thedispenser or associated control system to access customer preferences,early in the fueling operation. Preferably, the information is accessedas the customer approaches the dispenser to enable the dispenser andassociated systems to provide the customer with a personalized greeting,pre-selected information, such as news, traffic, weather, scores orstock reports in addition to providing customer selected advertising,merchandising or entertainment presentations. Typically, a customerfills out information relating to the types of information, greetingsand multimedia presentations he or she would be interested in receivingduring a fueling operation. The information is entered into a databaseassociated with the transponder ID or actually stored on the transponderin a format capable of instructing the dispenser or central controlsystem accordingly.

Reference is directed to FIGS. 26A and 26B. Once the customer preferenceinformation is in place, fueling processes will begin (block 1500)wherein the dispenser 18 receives transponder identification indicia(block 1505). The dispenser 18 will cooperate with the central controlsystem 50 and remote network 94 as necessary to receive and accesscustomer preferences. Alternatively, the preferences may be downloadedfrom the transponder directly. The preferences may precondition fueldelivery (block 1515) by selecting the desired type of fuel and fuelgrade, and providing a personalized greeting (block 1520). The greetingmay be configured to visually and/or audibly provide a message such as"good morning" or "good afternoon Mr. Smith." Additionally, a customermay have selected preferences as to the type of advertising andmerchandising provided by the display 100 and audio/video electronics86.

The advertising may come from a dedicated auxiliary audio/video source156, such as a laser disk player or digital video disk (DVD) as well asvia the remote network 94. The network 94 may be associated with theInternet. The Internet provides a wide range of multimedia capabilitiesto the fueling environment relating to remote control and informationdissemination. Attention is drawn to U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/896,988 for INTERNET CAPABLE BROWSER DISPENSER ARCHITECTURE, filedJul. 18, 1997, in the name of Russel D. Leatherman et al. The disclosureof this application is incorporated herein by reference.

Similarly, the customer may elect to receive audio/video entertainment(block 1530), such as brief videos or music provided to make thecustomer's visit to the fueling environment more pleasurable.Additionally, the customer may elect to receive a wide variety ofinformation relating to news, weather, scores, stock updates and trafficreports, just to name a few of the types of information available (block1535). As noted, this information may be gathered and distributedlocally by the central control system 50 or accessed via the remotenetwork 94. Associating the central site control system with theInternet will allow significant access to various types of information.

Given the tremendous amount of information capable of being provided atthe dispenser based on customer selection or independent merchandising,the present invention also provides for suppressing the presentation ofcertain information as desired by the customer (block 1540). Forexample, certain customers may not want to receive advertisements fortobacco products, alcoholic beverages or snack products. Preferably, anyof the information may be suppressed upon customer election and use ofthe transponder.

In addition to suppressing available information, a customer is alsoprovided the ability to change or override a preference previouslyelected during initial setup (block 1545). Typically, the customer isqueried via a prompt on the video display 100 of the dispenser 18 tochange or override a certain preference. Upon receiving customer inputvia the key pad 102, 104, the dispenser control system 80 (possibly inconjunction with the central control system 50) will override and/orchange the information provided on the display 100. Changing thepreference may include providing a customer with a menu of availableinformation display options. Thus, the dispenser control system 80 willmonitor the key pad 102, 104 for a customer response (block 1550). Ifthe customer responds accordingly (block 1555), the preference ismodified or changed (block 1560) by simply canceling the preference orselecting a new preference from a displayed menu. The preference may bemade temporarily or permanently by updating the database and/or sendingan appropriate control signal to the transponder. After the preferenceis changed, the dispenser will operate to continue the fueling operation(block 1565) until the operation comes to an end (block 1570). If thecustomer does not elect to change a predefined preference, the dispensercontrol system 80 will simply continue fueling until the end of thefueling operation (blocks 1565 and 1570). The dispenser may recognizeother preferences to precondition the fuel dispenser for the impendingfueling operation, including selecting a card type, payment method,account type, or other related transaction information to prepare thedispenser for fueling and carrying out the transaction. The customer mayalso elect to receive specific types of advertising and merchandising.Based on these elections, system operators may provide additionalindependent but targeted advertising and merchandising.

Preventing Fueling of Unauthorized Containers

The present invention may also provide for ensuring a container isproper for receiving and carrying fuel delivered by the dispenser 18.With reference to FIG. 27, a dispenser 18 is shown having a deliveryhose 76 and nozzle 78 for delivering fuel to a vehicle or otheracceptable container 280. Preferably, the container 280 is a fuelcontainer manufactured to reduce the risk of igniting the fuel carriedtherein. The container 280 includes a body 282 having a spout 284,filling aperture 286, handle 288 and a transponder 290. Although activeor passive transponders are acceptable for this aspect of the invention,a passive transponder, acting as a true transponder, is preferable. Thetransponder 290 is designed to reflect an interrogation signal sent fromthe dispenser interrogator 52 under the control of the dispenser controlsystem 80. Upon receiving the interrogation signal, the transponder 290will transmit a signal indicative of the type of container and whetherthat container is acceptable for carrying fuel.

Attention is drawn to the flow chart of FIG. 28 depicting the basicprocess of monitoring and detecting acceptable containers for fueling.At the beginning of the process (block 1600), the dispenser controlsystem 80 will cause the dispenser interrogator 52 to transmit aninterrogation signal in order to interrogate the transponder 290 (block1605). When a transponder is within the interrogation field, it willtransmit a signal in response to the interrogation signal. The dispenserinterrogator 52 will receive this transponder signal, which typicallyincludes indicia of the transponder type or an identification indiciaallowing the controller to access a database to determine the type oftransponder in communication with the dispenser (block 1610). Thetransponder may indicate that it is a personal transponder carried bythe person, such as a card or key fob, a vehicle-mounted transponder or,in this particular instance, a stand-alone fuel container. Whether thetransponder signal directly indicates the type of container being fueledor a database is accessed based on the transponder ID, the dispensercontrol system 80 or an associated control system is adapted todetermine if the container is acceptable for receiving fuel (block1615). The transponder indicia or database may also indicate the type orgrade of fuel for the particular container.

If the container is not an acceptable container (block 1620), thedispenser control system 80 will provide an audible or visual signal tothe customer and/or operator indicating that the container is notacceptable for receiving fuel (block 1625). The dispenser control system80 will also act to prevent fueling by deactivating the pump and fuelingelectronics (block 1630) and the process ends (block 1635). If thecontrol systems determine that the transponder is in an acceptablecontainer (block 1620), fueling is authorized (block 1640) and fueldelivery begins (block 1645). A proper container may be a vehicle fueltank wherein the vehicle-mounted transponder 64 will enable the controlsystem to recognize the vehicle as an acceptable container. In certainembodiments, the vehicle transponder 64 may be mounted on or near thevehicle's fill neck.

Preferably, the dispenser will continue communications with thetransponder to ensure that the transponder remains present during thefueling operation and, optionally, the dispenser may monitor movement ofthe transponder during this fueling operation (blocks 1650 and 1655). Ifno movement is detected and the transponder is present throughoutfueling, the operation will end once the container is full and thecustomer stops fueling. If the transponder is moved or leaves thepresence of the interrogation field, fueling is brought to a halt (block1660 and 1635). If the transponder is moved and/or the dispenserdetermines that the transponder is no longer present and the fuelingoperation is in progress, the controller 80 may act to warn or instructthe customer accordingly in addition to halting the fueling operation.If the container 280 stops moving or is brought back to a proper fuelinglocation, the dispenser 18 may be adapted to continue fueling as part ofthe same transaction. The proximity or location monitoring features ofthis aspect of the invention are discussed in greater detail above.

Restricting fueling to authorized containers in the manner describedabove greatly reduces the risk of severe bodily injury or death, not tomention substantial property damage that can occur when highly flammablefuels are carried in improper containers. In the preferred embodiment,the addition of a small passive transponder to a fueling container isminimal and modifying a dispenser 18 having an existing interrogator isbasically updating software to recognize the information received fromthe transponder during interrogation. Notably, although a classicaltransponder is the preferred embodiment, as noted earlier in thespecification, a transponder is used in a most generic sense and isdeemed to include remote communication units having a receiver, atransmitter, or a combination thereof.

Pre-transaction Estimates

The present invention may also provide pre-transaction estimates of theamount of fuel required to fill the vehicle's tank along with theestimated total cost of filling the vehicle. This embodiment requires avehicle-mounted transponder operatively associated with a vehiclecontrol system or, at a minimum, the vehicle's fuel tank in a mannerwherein the transponder is able to receive or determine informationrelating to fuel tank ullage. The ullage information may include theamount of fuel required to fill the tank, tank size and/or the quantityof fuel remaining in the tank. This information may be passed to thetransponder and then to the dispenser, or used to generate data to becommunicated to the dispenser. Ullage information is any type ofinformation which relates to tank ullage or from which ullage can bederived. The ullage here refers to the volume of the tank which canreceive additional fuel.

Referring now to FIGS. 29A and 29B, the basic process of providingcustomer pre-transaction estimates with a vehicle transponder is shown.The process begins (block 1700) when a customer drives up to a fuelingoperation and the associated transponder is interrogated by thedispenser interrogator 52 under the control of the dispenser controlsystem 80. Generally, the transponder will return identification indicia(block 1705). The transponder may also return indicia indicating thetransponder type. Alternatively, the transponder type may be included inthe transponder identification indicia or sent separately to enable thedispenser control system 80 or other associated control system todetermine the transponder type.

As discussed above, determining the type of transponder is helpful inmany situations, such as determining whether a container is authorizedfor receiving fuel or allowing a personal transponder to leave theimmediate fueling position during a fueling operation, while acting toprevent a vehicle-mounted transponder from leaving the fueling position.The dispenser control system 80 or associated control system may alsouse the transponder identification indicia to access a databasecorrelating the type of transponder with the identification indicia.Distinguishing transponder types is discussed in detail in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/966,237 filed Nov. 7, 1997, entitled TRANSPONDERDISTINCTION IN A FUELING ENVIRONMENT in the name of William S. Johnson,Jr., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Regardless of the type of identification indicia transmitted to thedispenser 18, the dispenser control system 80 (in cooperation with othercontrol systems, if necessary) determines the transponder type (block1710). Next, it is determined whether the transponder communicating withthe dispenser is a vehicle transponder (block 1715). If it is not, thefueling operation will proceed (block 1795) and continue until fuelinghas ended (block 1785), wherein the process comes to an end (block1790).

If the transponder is a vehicle transponder (block 1715), it isdetermined whether or not the vehicle transponder is an integratedtransponder capable of accessing ullage information (block 1720). Thisinformation is preferably derived from the transponder identificationindicia and transponder type information transmitted to the dispenser.However, any manner of communicating this information to the dispenseris acceptable and within the inventive concept of the present invention.If the transponder is vehicle-mounted but not integrated to obtainullage information, the fueling operation will start (block 1795) andcontinue until fueling has ended (block 1785) wherein the process isended (block 1790).

If it is determined that the transponder is integrated and adapted toprovide ullage information (block 1720), the dispenser must determinewhether the customer wants an estimate of the transaction amount (block1725). Typically, the estimate will be associated with completelyfilling the vehicle's fuel tank. The customer may provide a request forthe fill-up at the dispenser by entering a response on the key pad 102based on a prompt or query displayed on the display 100 (block 1730).Alternatively, the transponder may relay information duringcommunications with the dispenser indicating that the customer haspre-authorized the dispenser to calculate an estimate associated withfueling the vehicle (block 1730).

If the ullage information has not already been received during initialinterrogation, the dispenser interrogator 52 will interrogate thetransponder 64 for the ullage indicia (block 1735) and receive theullage indicia accordingly (block 1740). Based on the ullage indicia,the dispenser control system 80 or associated control system willdetermine or calculate the vehicle's tank ullage based on the ullageindicia received (block 1745).

The ullage indicia may include the exact ullage value representing theamount of fuel required to fill the tank, or the ullage indicia mayindicate tank volume and the amount of gas currently present in thetank, wherein the control system will run the appropriate calculationsto determine ullage. In yet another embodiment, the ullage informationmay simply include vehicle identification and remaining fuel indicia,and the control system will access a database at the central controlsystem 50 or at the remote network 94 storing information relating totank size for the identified vehicle. Those of ordinary skill in the artwill quickly recognize various ways of obtaining ullage information.These ways are considered within the scope of this disclosure and anyrelated claims which follow.

Once ullage is determined, the control system preferably determines orcalculates an estimated cost of fueling the vehicle based on the ullageinformation. In order to do so, the type of fuel and fuel grade must bedetermined (block 1750). The dispenser controller may provide a promptat the display 100 for the customer to select the type of fuel and gradedesired for fueling (block 1755). Alternatively, the initial informationreceived from the transponder may provide information on the type andgrade of fuel desired for fueling, and the associated control systemwill determine fuel type and grade accordingly (blocks 1750 and 1755).

Once tank ullage and the type and grade of fuel are determined, theassociated control systems will calculate the estimated cost for fillingthe vehicle (block 1760) by multiplying the ullage value by the fuelcost. Preferably, the estimated fuel quantity and the cost for fuelingthe vehicle with the selected type and grade is displayed to thecustomer on the display 100 (block 1765). At this point, the customer isgiven the option to continue with fueling. The customer may, forexample, be provided with a prompt to begin fueling (block 1770) whereinthe customer will respond by pressing a key on the key pad 102 (block1775). If the customer elects not to fuel based on this information, thefueling operation is ended before it ever begins (block 1795). If thecustomer elects to continue fueling, the dispenser will start thefueling operation (block 1780) and continue fueling until the tank isfull or the customer otherwise ends the operation (block 1785) whereinthe process comes to an end (block 1790).

Determining estimated fueling totals benefits customers in many ways,especially customers wanting to pay cash at the dispenser using the cashacceptor 90 (shown in FIG. 3). As noted earlier, the difficulty withcash acceptors is providing the customer with the proper change when theamount of fuel purchased is less than the dollar amount placed in thecash acceptor. Providing an estimated amount required to fill thevehicle tank will allow the customer or dispenser to calculate a dollaramount which will not exceed an amount required to fill the vehicle. Forexample, the dispenser may determine that it will take $21.60 worth ofpremium, unleaded gasoline to fill the vehicle tank. If the customeronly has two ten-dollar bills and a five-dollar bill, the customer willknow that if the two ten-dollar bills are placed in the cash acceptor,he will come substantially close to maximizing the amount of fueldelivered to the vehicle without needing change.

Although the customer can elect to purchase any amount of fuel, it isoften beneficial to determine how much fuel the vehicle will acceptbefore determining how much fuel one wishes to purchase. In certainapplications, the cash acceptor could be monitored to determine theamount of cash received and take appropriate action if the estimatedfilling total could not meet or exceeded that amount. In summary, thedispenser associated control system may determine if change isnecessary, based on the ullage information, the fuel selected and theamount of cash received by the cash acceptor.

Attention is drawn to FIG. 30 wherein a process is shown for providing acustomer with estimated cost totals in order to make decisions on theamount of cash to enter into a cash acceptor for payment. The processbegins (block 1800) where the dispenser control system 80 receivesullage information, fuel type and grade as discussed above (block 1805).Based on this information, the amount of fuel necessary to fill thevehicle and a corresponding cost estimate is calculated and displayed tothe customer (block 1810). The customer may make fueling decisions basedon this information, such as deciding what type of payment to make orhow much fuel to purchase.

Assuming the customer is using a cash acceptor, the dispenser controlsystem 80 will operate in conjunction with the cash acceptor 90 todetermine the amount of cash payment (block 1815). If the payment madeis less than the estimated cost of fueling (block 1820), then thedispenser control system 80 will allow fueling for the amount of payment(block 1825) until the operation is ended (block 1830). If the customerhas placed more cash in the cash acceptor than necessary to completelyfuel the vehicle (block 1820), the dispenser control system 80 will actto inform the customer that change will be required, preferably, usingthe display 100 (block 1835). The dispenser control system 80 will nextprompt the customer using the display 100 on how to receive change(block 1840). The customer may be required to receive credit on his orher transponder or go into the station store and obtain change at one ofthe transaction terminals, just to point out a couple of options.Additionally, the dispenser may provide a customer with the choice toopt out of the transaction (also block 1840). The dispenser controlsystem 80 will determine whether or not to refund the customer's initialpayment (block 1845) based on a customer input received at key pad 102(block 1855). If a refund of the payment is not desired and the customerchooses to receive change by other means, fueling will begin (block1850) until the process ends (block 1860). If a refund is requested bythe customer (blocks 1855 and 1845), the dispenser control system 80will cause the cash acceptor 92 to eject the customer payment (block1865) and the process is ended (block 1860). Those skilled in the artshould quickly recognize the added benefit in providing customerinformation before fueling relating to the amount of the potential fuelpurchased, especially in light of the difficulties in receiving changeassociated with cash acceptors.

It should be recognized that the various aspects discussed herein can bemixed and matched to provide a fueling environment with variouscombinations of capabilities. Each aspect was discussed individually inorder to provide a more clear disclosure. Furthermore, the various flowcharts and processes disclosed herein generally represent programs whichare stored in memory and run on an associated controller. Given theshared control responsibilities between the dispenser control systemsand the central control system in a typical fueling environment, thecontrol systems defined in the claims that follow are to be construed asincluding control features provided by dispenser control systems,central control systems and remote network control systems, alone or incombination. Those skilled in the art will recognize the tremendousflexibility in providing the various control aspects throughout thenumerous control systems (including remote networks) in and outside ofthe fueling environment.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should beunderstood that all such modifications and improvements have beendeleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability, but areproperly within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fuel dispensing system comprising:a) a fueldispenser associated with a control system adapted to detect a drive-offwhen fuel is delivered and not paid for and generate a drive-off signalwhen a drive-off condition is detected; b) a receiver associated withsaid control system and adapted to receive signals includingidentification indicia from a remote communications unit associated witha customer; c) a transmitter associated with said control system andadapted to transmit the drive-off signal to the remote communicationsunit; and d) wherein the drive-off signal is adapted to cause saidremote communications unit to prevent future transactions involving thecustomer and the fuel dispensing system.
 2. The fuel dispensing systemof claim 1 wherein the drive-off signal is adapted to prevent futurecommunications with the remote communications unit.
 3. The fueldispensing system of claim 1 wherein the drive-off signal is furtheradapted to inform the customer during a future transaction involving theremote communications unit of the drive-off.
 4. The fuel dispensingsystem of claim 1 wherein said control system is adapted to gatherinformation from the remote communications unit relating to historicaluse of the remote communications unit.
 5. The fuel dispensing system ofclaim 1 wherein said control system is adapted to gather informationrelating to the current transaction.
 6. The fuel dispensing system ofclaim 5 wherein the information relating to the current transaction iscustomer information received from a card reader operatively associatedwith the control system.
 7. The fuel dispensing system of claim 5wherein the information relating to the current transaction is customerimages received from a camera operatively associated with the controlsystem.
 8. The fuel dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said controlsystem is associated with an operator indicator and adapted to actuatesaid indicator upon the drive-off condition.
 9. The fuel dispensingsystem of claim 1 wherein said control system is associated with ansecurity indicator and adapted to actuate said indicator upon detectingthe drive-off condition.
 10. The fuel dispensing system of claim 1wherein said control system comprises a dispenser controller and acentral controller located apart from said dispenser.
 11. The fueldispensing system of claim 1 wherein said control system comprises adispenser controller.
 12. The fuel dispensing system of claim 1 whereinsaid control system comprises a central control system located apartfrom said dispenser.
 13. The fuel dispensing system of claim 1 whereinsaid control system includes a dispenser control system and isassociated with a central site control system operating in conjunctionwith a transaction terminal, said central site control system operatingto detect that a fueling operation was not paid for and provide adrive-off alert to the dispenser control system.
 14. A method ofgenerating a drive-off signal in a fuel dispensing system comprising:a)detecting a drive-off when fuel is delivered and not paid for; b)generating a drive-off signal when a drive-off condition is detected; c)transmitting the drive-off signal to a remote communications unit; andd) wherein the drive-off is signal adapted to cause said remotecommunications unit to prevent future transactions involving thecustomer and the fuel dispensing system.
 15. A fuel dispensing systemcomprising:a) a fuel dispenser having an interrogator and a userinterface controlled by a dispenser controller, said dispensercontroller adapted to communicate with a central site control systemlocated apart from said fuel dispenser; b) said interrogator adapted tocommunicate with a transponder associated with a customer, saidinterrogator adapted to receive transponder identification for saiddispenser controller; c) said dispenser controller adapted to detect adrive-off when fuel is delivered and not paid for and generate adrive-off signal when a drive-off condition is detected; and d) whereinthe drive-off signal is adapted to cause said remote communications unitto prevent future transactions involving the customer and the fueldispensing system.